Labor and the Coalition have announced their parental leave policies. If you are planning to have children, you should be familiar with what they’re offering.
Current parental leave schemes reinforce old gender stereotypes and the pay gap between women and men. Overseas experience shows better targeted leave for new fathers helps everyone.
You might expect progressive policies in our universities, but a parental leave system of primary and secondary caregivers – the first 93% women, the second 96% men – perpetuates the gender gap.
If governments are looking for a post-pandemic “baby boom” to help populations grow, then they should increase the amount and duration of paid parental leave for both mums and partners.
Breast milk contains ingredients in concentrations that change over the course of the day. Researchers think milk is chrononutrition, carrying molecular messages to help set a baby’s internal clock.
Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The transition to parenthood comes with plenty of stress. A psychology researcher suggests that paid family leave could help lift some of the burden – with positive health benefits down the road.