Overall

There is widespread support amongst mothers, fathers and employers for paid parental leave (PPL). It is almost universally recognised that PPL, with its job protection and payment, is important for parents, primarily mothers, to take time out of paid work around the birth or adoption of a child.

For both biological and social reasons it is almost solely mothers who take PPL and extended parental leave. Recovery from childbirth is seen as being supported by PPL as is breastfeeding for many women.

Fathers rarely take partners/paternity leave under the Act, and most mothers do not transfer any PPL to their spouse/partner. Most commonly fathers use annual leave. After the birth of a child the majority of fathers feel increased pressure as the main income earner and have greater concern about financial security.

There is also diversity of experience of mothers, fathers and employers in relation to the birth or adoption of a child. This reflects the considerable variety of family types, educational backgrounds, employment arrangements and the wide range of employers, as well as the considerable diversity of attitudes towards work and family life and the differing experiences of childbirth and adoption.

Mothers

Of those mothers who were eligible for PPL, eight in ten of these women took a period of leave. Overall, this is two-thirds of all women in paid work in the immediate period before giving birth to a baby or adopting a child. Of the remaining third of all mothers in paid work and who did not take PPL, two-thirds take no leave at all. One-third took other types of leave.

PPL is typically taken at the end of all other available paid leave. PPL allows eligible mothers to extend the total amount of leave taken.

Uptake of leave is limited by a number of factors including: awareness of leave policies; a conscious choice to exit the workforce and ethical obligation to employer; perceived flexibility of paid work to fit around family; and

type of role in workplace.

Most of those who were ineligible for PPL said that the financial contribution had they been eligible would have been significant. Just under half said a payment would have meant they took more leave.

The biggest barrier to taking the full 12 months of parental leave available is financial pressure. Mothers acknowledge that PPL lessens money worries, but does not provide financial security.

Mothers would like to take longer leave than they actually do - on average, most mothers return to work when their baby is six months old, but would like to return when their baby is 12 months old.

Two-thirds of mothers who took PPL and then returned to work, went back to the same employer. Most returned with the same terms and conditions. Although a little lower, the majority of women who did not take PPL also returned with the same terms and conditions.

Most mothers change their working arrangements when returning from leave. A change in working hours is particularly common, with two-thirds working part-time compared to one-third before the birth. Of those who decreased their hours, two-thirds planned for it to be a permanent change.

Most mothers prefer the time provided by PPL for themselves, and not for their partners. This is because PPL occurs during the first few months of the baby's life when the baby's health and bonding are critical considerations.

Fathers

Most fathers take some sort of leave around the birth or adoption of a child. Very few eligible fathers, however, are taking unpaid partners paternity leave and are more likely to save up and use all other types of paid leave around the birth of a baby.

The most common arrangement is for men to take two weeks annual leave around the birth of the baby. Father's ideal leave is four weeks concurrent leave with mother.

One in two fathers had more involvement in domestic responsibilities around the birth. Where the mother had returned to paid work, all fathers maintained or increased their involvement.

Fathers find employers more supportive about changing work patterns around the time of the birth, but not necessarily for longer term changes.

Employers

Overall, the majority of employers, and especially small employers, have very little experience of women taking PPL.

Large employers are more likely to have formalised policies and systems in place to manage parental leave, and are more likely to have greater knowledge of their legal obligations. Small employers are more likely to consider parental leave on a case-by-case basis.

Employing someone to cover the position of an employee on parental leave is one of the most difficult aspects to manage for employers. Small and medium enterprises are more likely to find this difficult and prefer to re-allocate work across existing staff rather than try to hire someone to temporarily fi ll the role.

Two-thirds of employers agree that PPL allows them to plan and manage workloads with greater confidence.

Typically employers accommodate changes in working patterns on the mothers return to work and on an ongoing basis, particularly changing the number of hours worked and working flexible hours.

Small and medium enterprises appear to be more flexible than larger employers. They are more likely to strongly agree that they work around the needs of families where possible and re-evaluate the needs of mothers on a regular basis.

Employers are more supportive of changes to working patterns for fathers around the time of the birth, rather than on a long term basis.