This book provides a critical examination of paid parental leave
policies in Australia and compares them with those of similar member
countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD). While all OECD member countries, except the United States,
guarantee some form of paid parental leave to mothers, the duration,
benefits, job protection, and eligibility vary greatly. The substantial
disparity in parental leave policies between Australia and other OECD
countries raises questions about the effect of Australian policies on
gender inequality in the workforce, women's workforce participation, and
child and parental health.
The book presents two key recommendations for Australia's paid parental
leave policies. The first recommendation is to extend the current paid
parental leave to a total of 52 weeks for optimal child and maternal
health, in line with the World Health Organization's recommendation. The
second recommendation is to introduce an individual 15-week 'maternity
leave' provision exclusive to mothers, bringing the overall duration of
leave available to mothers to 52 weeks, which is approximately 70% of
the provisions offered by the featured OECD countries. These reforms may
be introduced in stages.
The book discusses the parental leave schemes of Germany, Canada and
Sweden as points of reference for Australia because of their similar
funding of paid parental leave through general taxation and their clear
and succinct legislation regarding paid parental leave rights. The
recommendations, if enacted, will foster Australian mothers' rights
through a reconstructive feminist lens by celebrating women's
differences with men and removing any disadvantage women may have in
meeting masculinized social norms.
While the Australian government's 2021 announcement of an additional
$1.7 billion investment in childcare will help mothers to return to
work, it does little with regard to the government's parental leave
scheme that places the onus for the care of the newborn or newly adopted
child entirely on the mother, while failing to also provide paid
parental leave for fathers. Moreover, while increased funding for
childcare may help mothers return to work after the 18-week paid
parental leave is over, such policy does not address the importance of
raising the child at home with a parent for at least the first year of
the child's life. The support of parents is instrumental in countries
with an aging population and Australia is one such country. Overall,
this book calls for urgent attention to be paid to parental leave
policies in Australia to address issues of gender inequality, workforce
participation, and child and parental health.
