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Jerry Seinfeld calls on men to be more supportive of women than ever before

The comedian said that women today are under too much stress

Helen Nianias
Thursday 05 March 2015 05:24 EST
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Jerry Seinfeld will be chatting to more celebrities in vintage cars in 24 new episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jerry Seinfeld will be chatting to more celebrities in vintage cars in 24 new episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Getty Images)

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Jerry Seinfeld has said that men aren't supportive enough of their female partners.

At the launch of his charity drive the Fatherhood Initiative, comedian Seinfeld argued that women are under more stress than ever to maintain a career and taking the bulk of the childcare responsibilities.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "Men now in this cultural moment need to be more supportive to their women - the mothers or the wives or both, because women are at a point in culture when it’s one of the most difficult in their history," he said on Wednesday night.

"They have more opportunity than they’ve ever had but that doesn’t necessarily make your life easier.

"Stress on them is a lot higher. When you first get married and have kids you don’t realize the stress that is on a woman. It takes you a while to figure that out and be helpful," he added.

Speaking on stage, Seinfeld told guests that fathers find it confusing when their child is born as they don't feel the same parenting "instincts" right away.

Seinfeld with sitcom co-stars Michael Richards and Jason Alexander
Seinfeld with sitcom co-stars Michael Richards and Jason Alexander (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

"I do this thing in my act about when a baby is born - for the female, the instincts kick in but for the man, nothing kicks in," he said. "That’s true no matter what kind of father you are. Especially if you are in a challenged economic environment, it’s even harder to figure out: 'What am I supposed to do?'"

Seinfeld raised $250,000 from the audience, which included Gwyneth Paltrow, Judd Apatow and Jason Bateman.

He also posed on the red carpet with Jason Alexander and Michael Richards, who played George and Kramer alongside Seinfeld in Nineties sitcom Seinfeld.

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