Why Dads Are Not Taking Parental Leave In Australia

For the past few weeks, we have talked about the challenges mums face in the workforce, why women work, and how childcare fees force mums to stop working full-time. This time around, we would like to put the spotlight to all the sweet and loving dads acting as primary carers for their newborn child.

When you hear the words “paid parental leave”, you’d probably think of mothers taking a few months off from work right away but that’s understandable. According to ABS, around 95 percent of primary parental leave was taken by mothers while only 1 in 20 dads are taking primary parental leave.

It’s not that parental leave isn’t being offered.

In fact, more employers are prioritizing flexible work year-on-year and are adopting a flexible working policy or strategy between 2013-14 to 2017-18.

So why aren’t dads not taking any more leave?

We took a deeper look at the statistics and these are the reasons we found: due to practical, economic, and cultural reasons.

For a dad who’s nature of work is not flexible or cannot afford to extend leave, it can be difficult to spend some time with the little one while doing their jobs on the side. Those who drive trucks or are mechanics can relate to this. The truth is, there are workplaces implementing policies that are sometimes only applicable to women.

Furthermore, 54% of dads believe taking a leave from work might have a negative impact on their finances while 34% believe they will be seen as less committed to the job. In terms of financial security, this belief from men is no surprise due to the long-standing large gender pay gap where men are earning more than women. The average full-time weekly wage for a woman is 15.3% less than a man. Parents would normally choose the best economic outcome, and that’s making the woman as the primary carer in the family while the dads work.

Another reason why dads are reluctant to take parental leaves is that it’s not socially accepted in the workplace. When childrearing responsibility isn’t considered normal or when people in your workplace think that taking care of the child is only for women, and when fathers are not encouraged to take leave or work flexibly, this becomes a problem. Even if a company have policies that are gender-neutral, fathers may not feel comfortable taking advantage of those policies.

It’s time for society to understand that dads too, need time off work to bond, connect, get involved, learn new things, and share experiences with their new-born baby.  It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that regardless of who is taking primary parental leave, it shouldn’t be seen as strange and their career options shouldn’t disappear once they return to work. Fathers will be able to take leave and take longer leaves if their work culture is supportive. It’s also important that our system accommodates different individual requirements so that the issues involved in raising a family can be met.

99aupairs, however, would like to remind Australian families of the great support available in the form of Au Pairs. They are young persons living abroad with a host family in exchange for childcare, accommodation, and pocket money.  Au Pairs can help reduce your juggle stress, give you flexibility, and most of all the much-needed support when you or your partner are away for work. The Au Pair program is a great opportunity for both parents to have the strength in facing the challenges in the workforce while fulfilling their roles as parents to their little ones.

Visit us at 99aupairs.com or send us an e-mail at support@99aupairs.com to find your perfect Au Pair today.