Key Findings

• While there are some clear patterns of attitude and behaviour amongst parents, there was also much diversity. Attitudes and outcomes are influenced by a variety of factors including those outside parental control, such as the health of the baby.
• While many of the parents may have strived for equality in both paid and unpaid work before having a child, pregnancy and the birth of a child tends to reinforce traditional gender roles. For most parents, the focus for the first three months is the health of the baby and, for many, breastfeeding is critical.
• Many mothers would like to take 52 weeks leave but when most of the leave period is unpaid this not a financial option for some parents.
• A key tension revolves around a mother's wish for flexibility and an employer's need to manage the impact of the leave over a fixed period of time.

In the process of exploring decision making surrounding parental leave and paid work, the dynamics and influences behind these key insights were uncovered. This stage of the research identified a number of hypotheses to be tested and measured in the final quantitative stage. These are discussed in Stage 3.

An initial finding of Stage 2 was that there was some confusion in terminology between employer paid leave schemes and government funded PPL. Parents did not use the word "government" when referring to PPL. The qualitative research suggested that some of those who in Stage 1 of the research said they took leave under an employer scheme in fact took PPL. In addition, there was insufficient detail collected in Stage 1 of the research to accurately assess eligibility for some women. This appeared to particularly effect those in contract or casual work whose eligibility may have been affected by the one hour per week minimum requirement as the survey asked only about usual hours worked per week.

Parents

Overall, the qualitative research demonstrates that while there are some clear patterns of attitude and behaviour amongst parents, there was also much diversity. The interviews indicated that for parents, the diversity of attitudes and outcomes are influenced by a variety of factors including those outside their control, such as the health of the baby.

For eligible mothers, PPL sanctions time away from paid work to care for their babies. It is also a prompt for reassessing decisions around gender roles and involvement in paid work. For some, the payment attached to the leave gives the leave value. While many of the mothers and fathers may have strived for equality in both paid and unpaid work before having a child, pregnancy and the birth of a child often reinforces traditional gender roles. For most families, the focus for the fi rst three months is the health of the baby and, for many, breastfeeding is critical. For both biological and social reasons, most mothers see themselves as the main nurturers. The majority of fathers assume the provider role.

I am always considering where is the income coming from, job security, job stresses, covering mortgage payments and rent.

The biological determinants of gender roles have a significant impact on mothers' perception of the baby's health, the involvement of the father, and if or when to return to paid work:

In our case we made a decision that she would be at home fulltime for the first year or so, for the practicality of breastfeeding. But as the father you can miss out on the milestones, like first steps which is bonding for the father.

In addition, while mothers tend to take the PPL around pregnancy and childbirth, mothers also tend to forfeit PPL if returning to work early rather than transfer payments to higher earning spouses/partners.

While traditional gender roles tend to be reinforced, having a baby prompts other changes for some, such as using the leave period to retrain for a different occupation. And sometimes unexpected events, such as a caesarean birth, meant that plans about who took leave and for how long needed to be changed.

But even without unexpected events, after the birth there can be an intense focus on the baby and for a variety of reasons pre-birth plans relating to paid work are often reassessed. One mother noted:

I did originally think that I would be working full time after I came back from the three months parental leave, but I've ended up doing 30 hours and I think that's turned out for the best.

From the father's perspective, taking leave around the birth is primarily to support the mother and establish feeding patterns. Fathers, however, also want time to bond with the baby. In the early months breastfeeding takes priority for most families, so any leave taken by the father to satisfy these three sets of needs must be taken at the same time as the mother. Fathers are also influential in the choices made by mothers around how best to meet the needs of the baby, their family, their career and their employer obligations. The few fathers who did become primary caregivers sometimes found that they were challenging convention.^[6]

There is ongoing reassessment of plans in relation to paid work and initial intentions are not always matched with reality. For some parents, the amount of leave mothers want to take around the birth of the baby only becomes clear with the experience of the impact of their new baby on their lives. Thus for these parents the anticipated return to work date is an estimate. For many parents return to paid work is primarily prompted by financial considerations. Leave is generally structured to maintain pre-birth income for as long as possible and PPL is taken at the end of all other paid leave.

The interviews indicated that many mothers would like to take 52 weeks leave but when most of the leave period is unpaid this not a financial option for some parents.

For some mothers, however, there is anxiety around keeping careers on track during the time of their parental leave and feelings of obligation to their employers, particularly in small and medium businesses.

In a 12 month time period a workplace can undergo considerable change and reorganisation. For mothers returning to work after 12 months it can be similar to beginning a new job. For others, however, a desire for mental stimulation influences when mothers return to work.

Many parents reported that at six months, routines of the whole family but particularly the baby are more established and the baby is less reliant on the mother.

Yet, illustrating the diversity of attitudes, for others return to work at three months is too soon. For these parents, there are negative consequences for bonding and the baby's wellbeing. And for some mothers, the advantages of not returning to paid work are greater than all that work offers.

I don't think anyone else, even if they are family, would take care of your kids as well as you would.

The interviews suggested that the biggest anxiety around return to paid work is the quality of childcare. Therefore at a practical level, availability and affordability of quality childcare affects decision making. Respondents suggested there are few places for babies under six months and this strongly impacts on the ideal time for mothers to return to paid work.

Career compromises are often made on return to work to juggle changing priority placed on paid work and family responsibilities:

If I was working a full-time job as well, neither of us could be at senior management level, because you are required to do more than an eight hour day.

Workplace commitment is also demonstrated by women in casual/contract work and mothers in less skilled paid work. Some employers suggested that return to work by these mothers is valuable to the employers. Their intermittent interaction with paid work and, for some, a willingness to fulfil lesser skilled tasks is important. Some of these women often have strong workplace loyalty demonstrated by the length of service with any one employer. This group feels deserving of parental leave entitlement and are the most likely to benefit from the financial assistance provided by PPL. They tend to come from households where incomes are lower than those of eligible mothers.

The mothers who were not entitled to PPL felt they were more disadvantaged. They often work up to the birth and return to work early and they struggle financially. Both Stage 1 of the research and the qualitative interviews suggested mothers who are eligible but unaware also tend to fi t this pattern. The financial provision of PPL for these mothers would have been significant. Some mothers feel very let down that they do not qualify for PPL, especially when they had a long history of paid work:

It's not fair that I did not get PPL when I've worked for the same employer for five years - why can't they add up my hours?

Mothers who would gain most from PPL financially, often lack the confidence and education to find out about it. It was also stated that PPL is better suited for first children, especially when parents choose to have children close together.

The qualitative research suggests that the actual dollar amount for mothers who benefit from PPL is a token covering day to day costs associated with having a baby, for example nappies. Yet, for mothers excluded from PPL by their patterns of work, the amount of money provided by PPL would have had a significant financial impact, allowing them to have time to bond with the baby and delay their early return to paid work.

Employers

Knowledge of the details surrounding PPL appears to be low and there is some confusion around eligibility criteria amongst all mothers and some employers (small and medium enterprises). Despite their obligations under the Act, many employers (especially small and medium enterprises) reinforce the attitude that it is up to mothers to find out about it and complete the application. Friends and family are the most trusted source of information about PPL but the internet and 0800 numbers provide the detail. Mothers working for employers with a human resource capability are more likely to be given information and feel more supported.

When employing women of childbearing age, employers acknowledge that if these women chose to have babies it will impact on their engagement with paid work. Out of necessity, women need to take some leave from paid work to have a baby. Although a fact of life, the qualitative research indicated that this could be a difficult process to manage for mothers and their employers. Mothers' plans change and some employers are better equipped to deal with the consequences of parental leave and its unpredictability than others.

The size of the organisation and the flexibility and approach of the immediate manager was noted by some parents in terms of their ability to balance family and paid work.^[7]

For example, a decision to resign before the birth can be triggered by the belief that the company will not be able to accommodate the flexibility required by the mother following the birth. Mothers working for small and medium enterprises are more likely to face pressure to return to work early.

There was some feeling amongst parents that the relatively short duration of PPL advantages employers more than mothers. There were also some comments that larger organisations can cope better with periods of leave or part-time working arrangements following a period of parental leave.

For small and medium enterprise, covering any type of leave can be challenging (for example, annual leave has a significant impact on them). Workloads are typically reallocated across existing staff, rather than taken on by a temporary replacement. The qualitative research suggested it can be easier for some to replace someone who resigns than find a temporary replacement. Yet it appears many small and medium enterprises are flexible in approach and systems and are characterised by high personal investment in relationships. Strong relationships can exist within the company between all employees and between employer and employees. In these situations, employees have a stronger commitment to match this flexibility in the way in which they work. At times, however, this can lead to difficulties managing paid work and families.

For most employers, if mothers extend their leave beyond six months, while the employers are legally required to hold the position open, making suitable arrangements to cover the role without finding a permanent replacement can be difficult. Exceptions to this are government agencies and larger businesses where systems and processes are in place making it easier to fulfil their legal obligation and for the larger volume of women in this situation.

PPL seems to be institutionalised in larger firms and government agencies. It is recognised as one of the many benefits available for mothers and is just one of many processes handled by the employer. In these types of workplaces additional informal support for mothers comes from others with first hand experience of PPL. It can also be easier for mothers to take extended leave by initiatives like short contract work at home to help supplement income before returning to work in a more formal capacity. The culture of the organisation determines the extent to which family and paid work can be balanced. For small and medium enterprises, it can be more problematic and employers can be less flexible as the immediate manager makes it happen. Flexibility can be a key.

The organisation's perception of the value of the employee to them is defined in a number of ways. It can be having particular skills or seniority that are difficult to replicate (particularly in a tight labour market), having responsibility for managing relationships of importance to the business, or where aspects of the role make it difficult to fill because of the more menial nature of the work and/or a willingness to work irregular and anti-social hours.

There is recognition that employers who accommodate different working patterns can secure loyal staff.

When considering the perspectives of employers and parents, a key tension revolves around a mother's wish for flexibility and an employer's need to manage the impact of the leave over a fixed period of time.