Investment in Paid Parental Leave is increasing, and it’s good news. But the real measure of progress isn’t just how many weeks an employer offers. It’s what happens because of it.
Workplace Gender Equality Agency‘s latest data gives us some encouraging signs.
Men now account for around 20% of primary/universal parental leave, up from 14% in 2022–23 and 6.5% in 2019–20.
That’s meaningful progress. But women still take the majority of primary parental leave, so equality in caring is still some way off.
What matters is what happens when organisations go beyond simply having a generous policy.
1. Better policy design can change men’s behaviour.
Employers that remove the distinction between primary and secondary carers and actively encourage men to take substantial leave see higher male participation. Some Australian employers now have men representing 40%–50%+ of employees taking significant parental leave.
The national 20% figure doesn’t have to be the ceiling.
2. Generous leave can improve women’s retention.
BCEC–WGEA research found organisations offering 13+ weeks of employer-funded parental leave approximately halved the proportion of female managers who ceased employment during parental leave, compared with organisations relying only on the government scheme.
That’s a talent, retention and gender equality outcome.
3. Supported returns matter.
Employer case studies show return-to-work rates moving from around 70% to above 90% when parental leave is combined with flexibility, manager support, keeping-in-touch programs and thoughtful transitions back to work.
So it’s not necessarily more leave alone that produces better outcomes.
It’s: Leave + flexibility + leadership + manager capability + transition support + a culture where caring is normal for everyone.
4. There is a connection to women’s leadership.
WGEA’s longitudinal research shows organisations with more mature gender equality practices have stronger growth in female management representation and lower resignation rates among women.
We shouldn’t claim parental leave alone causes more women to reach leadership. But the pathway is increasingly clear:
More equal access to leave → more men participating in care → less career interruption concentrated on women → stronger workforce attachment → better retention → a larger pipeline of experienced women → greater opportunity for women to progress into leadership.
This is where the conversation needs to move beyond policy design. A parental leave policy can look impressive on paper while having very different outcomes in practice. If men technically have the same entitlement but don’t feel able to use it, or women return to roles with less flexibility and fewer opportunities, the policy hasn’t delivered its full potential. The real test is whether organisations are changing the conditions around leave: what leaders model, what managers say, how work is redesigned and whether taking time to care is genuinely career-safe for everyone.
So perhaps we need to change how we measure leading practice.
Don’t just ask:
“How many weeks of parental leave do we offer?”
Also ask:
Who takes it?
How much?
Do parents return?
Are they still here 12 and 24 months later?
Are they being promoted after returning?
And is greater equality in caring translating into greater equality in leadership?
The goal isn’t simply to create better parental leave policies; it’s to drive greater equality, inclusion, wellbeing, leadership and workforce participation outcomes.
Ready to strengthen your parental leave experience?
A strong parental leave experience takes more than a generous policy. It requires the right support before, during and after leave to help parents, managers and organisations navigate the transition successfully.
Learn more about our Parental Leave Transition program and how it can support your organisation. Explore the Parental Leave Transition program
