The global gap in paid parental leave is reinforcing traditional gender roles, with consequences for women’s careers, financial independence and participation in the workforce

Women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of childcare, and the gap in paid leave available to mothers and fathers is one reason the imbalance persists. A United Nations report published on October 22, 2026, highlighted that mothers globally receive nearly eight times as much paid leave as fathers, raising questions about how workplace policies shape caregiving responsibilities and women’s economic opportunities.

The disparity extends beyond the weeks parents spend at home after childbirth. When women are expected to take extended leave while men return to work sooner, childcare can become closely associated with women’s employment decisions, career progression and long-term financial security.

The issue is particularly significant as governments and employers seek to increase women’s participation in the workforce. Equal access to employment opportunities cannot be achieved through recruitment policies alone if women continue to bear most of the responsibility for raising children and managing unpaid care.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in a policy brief published in June 2025, found that mothers were entitled to an average of 24.7 weeks of paid parental leave, compared with 2.2 weeks for fathers. The difference amounted to more than five months.

The ILO figures use a different measure from the nearly eight-to-one comparison highlighted by UN News, but both point to a persistent imbalance in paid leave entitlements.

Why the gap in parental leave matters

Maternity leave provides women with time to recover from childbirth and care for their newborns. It is an important health and employment protection. The concern is not that mothers receive leave, but that fathers often have far fewer opportunities to take paid time off and participate in early childcare.

When fathers have little or no paid leave, families may have limited options for sharing the demands of caring for a newborn. Mothers can consequently become the default caregivers, even when both parents are employed.

This division can influence decisions about who returns to work, who takes career breaks and whose professional responsibilities are adjusted around childcare.

Women may accept reduced hours, decline opportunities involving travel or longer working days, or leave employment altogether when affordable childcare and family support are unavailable. The resulting loss of income can affect savings, career advancement and retirement security.

The consequences also extend to employers. When organisations assume that women are more likely to take extended leave or manage family responsibilities, these expectations can influence recruitment, promotion and decisions about assigning demanding projects.

Such outcomes are not inevitable. They depend on workplace culture, family circumstances, the availability of childcare and the design of leave policies. However, unequal entitlements can reinforce the idea that childcare is primarily a woman’s responsibility.

The economic cost of unpaid care

Unpaid care work remains a major barrier to women’s participation in paid employment.

According to the ILO, an estimated 708 million women of working age worldwide were outside the labour force in 2023 because of unpaid care responsibilities, compared with 40 million men.

These figures highlight the scale of the challenge, although unpaid care is broader than childcare alone. It also includes looking after older relatives, supporting family members with disabilities and managing household responsibilities.

Paid parental leave is one part of the response. Access to affordable childcare, predictable working hours, social protection and flexible employment arrangements can also determine whether parents are able to remain in paid work.

The ILO argues that leave policies should recognise fathers as caregivers as well as protect mothers’ health and employment rights. It has called for adequate, paid and job-protected leave for fathers, alongside individual parental-leave entitlements that encourage both parents to participate in caregiving.

Policy design matters. Leave that is unpaid, poorly compensated or difficult to access may be of little practical use to families who cannot afford a reduction in household income.

Similarly, when leave is available only to the parent with the stronger employment protection or higher likelihood of receiving benefits, families may continue to rely on mothers to provide most of the care.

India: Maternity protection and the question of shared care

India provides an important example of the distinction between protecting maternity and enabling both parents to share childcare.

Under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, as amended in 2017, eligible women working in covered establishments can receive up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave for up to two surviving children. Different provisions apply in specified circumstances, including for women with two or more surviving children and certain adopting or commissioning mothers.

The law also provides for nursing breaks and crèche facilities in establishments employing 50 or more employees, subject to the applicable provisions. The Ministry of Labour and Employment outlines these benefits in its official guidance.

These protections recognise the physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth and the importance of supporting women after delivery. However, maternity leave is not the same as paternity leave or shared parental leave.

India does not have a universal statutory paid paternity-leave entitlement covering all private-sector employees. Certain categories of employees, including eligible central government employees, have separate service-rule provisions. Individual employers may also offer paternity or parental leave under their own policies.

This means that the leave available to a father can depend on his employment category and workplace rules, while a mother may have statutory maternity protections if she meets the relevant eligibility conditions.

The distinction matters in a labour market where many people work informally, on contracts or without access to comprehensive employment benefits. Women outside the scope of applicable maternity-benefit provisions may not enjoy the same protections as eligible employees in covered establishments.

A more inclusive approach would examine not only how much leave is available to mothers but also whether fathers can take paid leave, whether workers in non-standard employment have adequate protection and whether families can access affordable childcare.

What more equitable leave policies could look like

Closing the gap does not require reducing maternity protections. It requires extending meaningful opportunities for fathers to participate in care while ensuring that women do not lose employment, income or health protections because they become mothers.

The ILO has identified several approaches that can help countries move towards more equitable systems.

First, fathers need paid leave that is adequately compensated and protected against job-related penalties. If taking leave means losing a substantial portion of household income, many families will find it difficult to use.

Second, individual leave entitlements for each parent can encourage fathers to take time off rather than transferring the entire responsibility to mothers. Some countries reserve a portion of parental leave for each parent, creating an incentive for both to participate.

Third, leave policies need to be supported by affordable childcare and family-friendly workplace arrangements. Flexible hours and remote work may help some families, but they cannot replace paid leave or suitable childcare, particularly for workers whose jobs must be performed in person.

Finally, financing matters. Systems that place the entire cost of maternity leave on individual employers can create incentives that undermine equal treatment in hiring. The ILO has highlighted social-protection-based financing as one way to support broader coverage and reduce these pressures.

These measures require public investment and cooperation between governments, employers and workers. They also require attention to workers in informal and insecure employment, who are often least able to take unpaid time away from work.

Caregiving should not determine a woman’s career

The global gap in paid parental leave reflects a wider question about how societies value care. Pregnancy and childbirth create specific health needs for women, but raising a child is an ongoing responsibility shared by parents.

When workplace policies recognise only one parent as the primary caregiver, the effects can continue long after maternity leave ends. Women may face greater pressure to interrupt their careers, while fathers lose opportunities to participate in their children’s early lives.

For India and other countries seeking more inclusive labour markets, the challenge is to protect maternity without treating childcare as an exclusively female responsibility.

The figures highlighted by the United Nations and the ILO offer a starting point for examining how leave entitlements shape employment and family life. The next step is to assess whether policies are accessible, adequately paid and designed to allow both parents to care for their children without jeopardising their economic security.

Equal participation in the workforce depends not only on women’s ability to enter paid employment, but also on whether they can remain in it without carrying a disproportionate share of unpaid care.

A fairer parental-leave system would recognise that mothers need protection, fathers need the opportunity to care, and children benefit when both parents can participate in their upbringing.