Paid parental leave for future families: The voices of Australian parents

Introduction

This report focuses on parents’ experiences using Australia’s paid parental leave (PPL) scheme and their aspirations for the future of the national scheme, with an emphasis on the role of fathers. It provides research evidence to inform the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce about the government’s proposed changes to the paid parental leave scheme in 2023–2026. This is the companion research report to our earlier report Next Steps for Paid Parental Leave in Australia (Baird & Hill, 2022).

This research was commissioned in response to proposed changes to the scheme:

  • From 1 July 2023, 20 weeks in total per couple will be available, with 2 weeks reserved each for the mother and father/partner, and 20 weeks in total for a single parent.
  • From 2024, 2 additional weeks per year, up to 2026 when 26 weeks in total will be available.

Recent research evidence shows that young Australian women’s and men’s expectations about patterns of work and care are converging. Young women expect to work in much the same way as men – for the duration of their adult life – while young fathers expect and aspire to participate in the care of their young children.[1] However, many report that current work–care policy architecture does not support equal work and care between young couples,[2] and that men who seek flexible work or paid leave to care are starting to face workplace penalties much like those experienced by women.[3]

The redesign of Australia’s paid parental leave goes part way to addressing these changing social and gender norms to make our workplaces and leave policies fit for purpose and provide a platform for enhanced economic productivity and a sustainable workforce. There is, however, a clear understanding that a 26-week scheme is unable to adequately meet the needs and expectations of parents. Nor does it provide adequate time to achieve the five objectives of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010:

  • allow carers to take time off work to care for the child in the 2 years following the child’s birth or adoption
  • enhance the health and development of birth mothers and children
  • encourage women to continue to participate in the workforce
  • promote equality between men and women, and the balance between work and family life
  • provide carers with greater flexibility to balance work and family life.

Furthermore, even with the extension of the national system to 26 weeks by 2026, Australia will remain well below the average period of paid leave available to parents in other OECD economies. See the Next Steps report and Appendices 2 and 3.

[1] Hill, E., Baird, M., Vromen, A., Cooper, R., Meers, Z. & Probyn, E. (2019). Young women and men: Imagined futures of work and family formation in Australia. Journal of Sociology, 55(4), 778–798.

[2] Hill, E., Cooper, R., Vromen, A., Foley, M. & Seetahul, S. (2023). Gender dynamics in the post-pandemic future of work. High level data release for International Women’s Day 2023. Research Note 1, Australian Women’s Working Futures Project. The University of Sydney.

[3] 3 Ruppanner, L., Churchill, B., Bissell, D., Ghin, P., Hydelund, C., Ainsworth, S., Blackhman, A., Borland, J., Cheong, M., Evans, M., Frermann, L., King, T. & Vetere, F. (2023). 2023 State of the Future of Work. Work Futures Hallmark Research Initiative, The University of Melbourne.