Paid leave entitlements for fathers – such as paid paternity and parental leave earmarked for fathers – have expanded rapidly in recent years across OECD countries. However, the use of leave is still far from equally shared between fathers and mothers.

This policy brief outlines recent policy trends, data on the use of father’s leave, key research findings and policy recommendations regarding paid leave for fathers to care for children. Fathers’ use of leave benefits not only parents and children but also promotes a more equal division of care responsibilities and other unpaid work at home and supports gender equality in the workplace, fairness and women’s economic self-efficiency. 

To promote more balanced parental leave use between mothers and fathers, policymakers can adopt a holistic approach, including the following:

• ensure adequate pay and well-designed incentives for fathers.
• promote and design flexible parental leave that supports fathers’ involvement.
• raise awareness of parental leave rights to support shifts in gender norms and workplace culture.
• strengthen efforts to monitor and collect data on parental leave uptake by each parent.

Key findings

• Most OECD countries provide some form of paid leave for fathers, such as paid paternity leave and parental leave earmarked for fathers. However, these entitlements are generally shorter than those for mothers, although they vary widely across countries.
• Fathers have become more likely to take parental leave over the past decade, but parental leave is still far from being equally shared between mothers and fathers.
• Gender norms, workplace cultures and financial considerations often discourage fathers from taking parental leave. Policy design also affects family decisions (e.g. family entitlement).
• Fathers’ leave benefits not only parents and children but also promote gender equality. To encourage uptake, many OECD countries have recently reformed paid leave for fathers.