Unequal Paid Leave Keeps Mothers Carrying Most Care as Fathers Seek More Family Support

Paid leave policies across much of the world give mothers substantially more time away from work than fathers, reinforcing an uneven division of caregiving that affects women's earnings, family life and children's well-being, according to a new policy brief from UN Women and the World Bank Group's Women, Business and the Law project.

The brief, "From parenthood leave to childcare services: Building care systems that work for women, families and economies", examines how leave entitlements and care services shape families' choices, with mothers entitled to nearly eight times as much paid leave as fathers on average across 190 economies.

Paid leave falls short for both parents

Across the 190 economies covered, 61, nearly one-third, provide mothers with less than the International Labour Organization standard of 14 weeks of paid leave, and six offer no guaranteed paid leave for mothers, according to Women, Business and the Law findings.

The gap is wider for fathers, who have no guaranteed paid leave in 66 economies; among the 124 economies that provide it, half offer less than two weeks, giving many men little opportunity to share care during the first weeks after a child's birth.

Research on fathers' experiences points to a mismatch between their willingness to care and the support available, with 87 per cent saying they lack the help they need and 83 per cent reporting that their employers do not offer flexible working arrangements.

More than 64 per cent of fathers would support higher taxes to expand public care services, reflecting demand for support that reaches beyond individual households and makes caregiving easier to combine with paid work.

Sharing care can improve work and family life

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda said care sustains families, societies and economies, describing a fairer division of responsibilities and greater recognition of care as essential to gender equality and the rights and empowerment of women and girls.

The effects of leave arrangements can continue well after parents return to their jobs, as research links fathers taking leave with a greater share of childcare and housework over time, reducing pressure on women, who spend an average of 2.5 times as many hours each day on unpaid care work as men.

Gumbonzvanda called for equitable parental and carers' leave, social protection and policies that encourage and enable fathers to take their fair share of care, placing responsibility on governments and employers to make that participation possible.

Paternity leave is associated with higher earnings for mothers and higher levels of employment in private firms, giving families an economic reason to support fathers' involvement alongside the benefits of sharing daily responsibilities.

Greater use of parental leave by men can change workplace expectations around caregiving, potentially reducing the "motherhood penalty" experienced by female colleagues, and an analysis links more responsive fathering with better cognitive functioning, language, emotion regulation and behaviour in children.

Care services need to reach beyond parenthood

For many households, caring for children sits alongside responsibilities for older relatives, friends and other community members, with around one in four parents providing care to both children and older people, often with little or no support.

These overlapping demands underline the need for care systems that respond to different stages of life, connecting parental and carers' leave with childcare services, wider care provision and social protection so families have support as their responsibilities change.

As the world prepares to mark the International Day of Care and Support on 29 October 2026, UN Women and the World Bank Group's Women, Business and the Law project are calling for care systems that challenge discriminatory gender norms, recognize men and boys as caregivers and promote an equal sharing of care work.