A hedge fund manager who once worked for JPMorgan remembered the day his daughter was born a decade ago — he was back to work that afternoon.  (Photo: Shutterstock)

(Bloomberg) — When JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to pay a landmark $5 million to settle a discrimination claim from a new dad, it looked like a turning point for Wall Street parents. Men who work for the biggest U.S. bank can take up to 16 weeks of parental leave, the bank emphasized, and said it would do better at making sure they know it.

But bankers across the industry say it's easier to tweak policy — or pay the equivalent of 70 minutes of profit — than to actually revamp the company culture that shapes the way people think and act.

Even though big banks and other Wall Street firms have boosted paid time off for new parents to some of the highest levels offered in the U.S., men still worry about staying at home for months, according to interviews with a dozen current and former employees. They fear what happens when they detach from a culture that lionizes face time and relationship upkeep. The signals are subtle and the pull of tradition is strong.