Dads aren’t taking leave – is it society, or something else?

A recent government expansion of parental leave may not be the answer to low uptake among parents, raising questions about equality, expectations, and employment.

Further to ongoing coverage of the campaign for expanded parental leave entitlements and childcare support under the National Employment Standards, a recent exploration of secondary caregiver leave in Australia has highlighted an ongoing disconnect between policy and practice.

According to the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, 42 per cent of eligible fathers were taking some of their use-it-or-lose-it days, 43 per cent were taking one to two weeks, and only 17 per cent took the three weeks or more available to them.

In a recent article for the independent think tank e61 Institute, pre-doctorate economist Josh Clyne and research economist Rachel Lee explained that the Albanese government’s intention in expanding secondary caregiver days from 15 to 20 is to encourage fathers to take leave and to equalise care work.

However, with already low uptake, the question remains whether more days is the solution and why uptake is so low.

According to Michael Byrnes, a workplace relations lawyer at Swaab, there are two main reasons for unused secondary caregiver days. For one, the leave is not payable at the base rate for the employee’s ordinary hours or work but at minimum wage. In this way, it does not replicate – and for some, does not come close – to the amount an employee would receive otherwise.

In this way, “taking the leave often results in a significant financial disadvantage for its duration … employees may well wonder if it is worth their while”.

Further, Byrnes noted that many types of leave are not necessarily taken to their full extent, such as annual leave and long-service leave.

He said: “While it is not ideal, the reality is that putting in place the necessary arrangements at work to be able to take leave can sometimes prove challenging for employees. PPL for a secondary caregiver is not materially different in that regard.”

Clyne and Lee said: “For employers offering leave entitlements, they should be aware that both the level of pay and the length of leave on offer can shape whether fathers take it up. Since 2023, government rules have also become more flexible, allowing parents to take employer-provided leave at the same time as government leave.”

“The direction of reform could make the payment rate on employer schemes even more relevant to how fathers use their leave.”

In what may not be a practical solution for all, but certainly a signifier of desire, Clyne and Lee exemplified various European systems whereby a combined increase in the number of days and payment more comparable to existing incomes saw higher uptake than the sum of either level on its own.

Further, they acknowledged that the current flat rate, compounded by entrenched social norms and longstanding division of duties, tends to result in parents splitting leave in accordance with traditional gender lines.

In this way, the policy’s design identifies the tension between “achieving the societal benefits of shifting gender norms, and restricting parents’ freedom to choose how they divide their time between work and care”.

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