Supporting men as fathers in the workplace
All new parents, including fathers, deserve the right to take time off work to care for their young children.
Employers have a key role to play in encouraging the cultural change needed to ensure men have this right and feel comfortable to use it.
When fathers take parental leave, there are many benefits, to family, employers and to society. But it is clear that men, more than women, often face challenges that prevent them from taking the time to connect with their children.
WEGA’s review of the evidence and research reveals 7 key actions employers can take to ensure all parents have fair and equal access to parental leave.
Read the full research report:
What helps men to take parental leave?
Men are more likely to take paid parental leave if they know they are supported to do so.
One study found that perceptions of support in the workplace was a key determinant of men taking leave. Another study found men are more likely to take leave earmarked for them if their co-workers take this leave, especially if a manager has taken it.
A cultural shift is needed in workplaces and wider society to encourage fathers to take this leave.
Employer support for employees’ responsibilities outside of work, as well as a family-friendly work environment can all positively influence men’s decisions to take paid parental leave.
Employers recognising fathers as carers and normalising and supporting active fatherhood will also shift attitudes.
There are also a number of policy changes employers can make to increase the likelihood of men taking up paid parental leave such as: paying the replacement wage at a higher rate; earmarking leave for fathers, and making policies opt-in by design, that is, the leave entitlements automatically apply and the father has to opt out if they do not want to take the leave.
Most employers who provide paid parental leave offer it at the employee’s full salary.
Providing the same entitlement to both parents – removing the primary and secondary carer labels – can also encourage men to take paid parental leave.
7 actions employers can take to ensure men have equal rights to parental leave
The research recommends 7 key actions that can help increase men’s access to parental leave and whether they take it.
Increase the number of weeks of paid parental leave available to men , ideally this means making the employer-funded parental leave scheme universal, with no distinction between primary and secondary carers.
Ensure that comprehensive employer-funded parental leave schemes include superannuation payments .
Earmark leave for men and make parental leave policies opt-in by design .
Encourage men in management positions to role-model (as applicable) and support the taking of parental leave. This should form part of broader support for a culture of gender-attuned leadership.
Normalise fatherhood in the workplace by encouraging and supporting men’s use of flexible working arrangements for caring and family responsibilities.
Monitor the rate of men’s take-up of parental leave, across all occupations and manager and non-manager categories.
Set a target to increase the take up of parental leave by men .
Benefits for men taking paid parental leave
The research found men experience many benefits from taking parental leave. Those benefits also flowed on to families, women, communities and the national economy.
Benefits for Men Taking Paid Parental Leave
helps normalise working fatherhood, reducing stigma and penalties faced by working mothers.
greater engagement with children and stronger relationships with partners.
improved mental health for fathers and their partners
.
potential to reduce employers’ gender pay gaps
.
would lead to a boost to national GDP (estimated at $900 million annually) due to increased women’s workforce participation
.
employers benefit from attracting and retaining talent.
David's story
For David Kelertas, the decision to take five months off through TelstraSuper's Parental Leave Scheme, was simple.
"It was a no-brainer to take that time off and spend it with my son," says the TelstraSuper Manager DevOps & Support.
TelstraSuper's Parental Leave Scheme provides four months of paid leave for new parents, with super paid on both paid and unpaid parental leave.
David took a fifth, unpaid month off, to help enable the family to care for Alex full time for his first year of life, combining with the 7 months his partner took off work to be with their son in his first months.
"I think everyone should do it, especially if they've got the opportunity," he says.
"You'll never regret it, and you'll never get that time back."
TelstraSuper's scheme also pays parents who return to work part-time with full-time Super Guarantee contributions for two years, regardless of their hours worked.
Watch our case study videos
Barriers for men taking parental leave
More than two thirds (68%) of private sector employers who report to WGEA offered paid parental leave in 2023-24.
There’s been progress over recent decades to make paid parental leave more available to men, but there are also significant barriers to men taking parental leave, when it is offered.
The proportion of primary carer parental leave taken by men has increased by 12 percentage points over the past 7 years, but men are still only accounting for 17% of this leave taken.
The figure is slightly lower in the Commonwealth public sector, with men accounting for 11% of the primary carer parental leave taken in 2023.
WGEA’s research review found men experience several common barriers to taking paid parental leave. These barriers need to be address for men to have equal access.
Barriers to Men Taking Paid Parental Leave
persistent gendered gender norms positioning men as breadwinners and women as caregivers
.
“ideal worker” expectations conflict with these gendered caregiving roles and can lead to workplaces that are less supportive of men engaging in caring
.
employer policies often distinguish between primary and secondary carers, limiting men’s access
.
low wage replacement rates and lack of superannuation are a barrier, and especially problematic for high-income earners
.
negative career impacts and lack of flexibility
.
invisibility of fathers’ caring responsibilities in workplace policies.
Want to know more? You don't need to scroll back to the top
Download and read WGEA's research paper: Supporting Men To Take Parental Leave
WGEA Case Study: TelstraSuper & Parental Leave
TelstraSuper Chief People Officer Krithika Hansen explains why the company decided to introduce a policy to boost the superannuation of employees returning from parental leave.
Under the policy, parents who return to work part-time receive full-time superannuation contributions for two years, regardless of their hours worked.
“It was almost a no-brainer…when we looked at our demographic of people returning from parental leave,” Ms Hansen says.
“From a cost-return employee-value proposition, a sense of belonging and connection to the workplace, the benefits outweighed the small cost that we as an organisation incurred to pay super for one or two days.
“For the individual, when we calculated what the long term benefit would be for them it was significant.”
TelstraSuper Chief People Officer Krithika Hansen says men in the organisation are embracing parental leave entitlements.
TelstraSuper offers 16 weeks paid parental leave, as well as a boost to the superannuation for employees returning to work part time.
She says more men than women are taking up the opportunity.
“What it’s created I think is a little bit more this sense of or equality and this sense that it’s okay to spend time with my children,” she says.
“It’s a very viable thing to do whether I’m male or female in the workplace.”
TelstraSuper Chief People Officer Krithika Hansen suggests organisations looking at improving or creating new policies look at their data.
The company has a popular 16-week paid parental leave scheme, with full time super for employees returning to work part time for two years.
As other companies consider what might be possible, Ms Hansen says it’s important they look at the data, who they are designing the policy for, and ask their employees if it will meet their needs.
TelstraSuper Chief People Officer Krithika Hansen says the strength – and support – of the leadership team and Board was key to the success of its parental leave policies.
“Everyone had a mindset of ‘how can we make this work’, rather than see it as a burden,” she says.
She says senior executives were also encouraged to share and be open about their own caring responsibilities to lead by example.