Only half of fathers take paternity leave, with income concerns a 'significant barrier', new study finds

Paternity leave is two weeks for children under six months, while parents' leave refers to nine weeks for parents of children under two.

Only about half of fathers avail of paternity leave, as a “significant” gender income gap persists in Ireland, new research has found.

The research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said despite the positives from introducing paternity leave and parent's leave, take-up remains low.

Its data showed only a quarter of fathers take parents' leave compared to two-thirds of mothers, as income-related concerns act as a “significant barrier” to higher take-up rates of these forms of leave.

Paternity leave is two weeks for children under six months, while parents' leave refers to nine weeks for parents of children under two.

“The fact that women do far more care and care work, paid and unpaid, than men plays a significant part in women’s lower economic status in Ireland,” IHREC chief commissioner Liam Herrick said.

To address persistent, structural inequality between women and men, Ireland must find a new relationship between paid employment, care work and gender roles. 

The research noted Ireland had been relatively late in international circles to introduce paid paternity and parents' leave. However, the length of time of paid paternity leave at two weeks is significantly shorter than the 26-week maternity benefit.

These gaps lead to a “more traditional gender division of labour in the household”, which could be made more equal if fathers received a longer leave period.

It found higher-paid fathers, who are more likely to receive employer top-ups, were more likely to avail of paternity leave. Take-up was also higher in larger companies where a replacement for them in the workplace was more readily available.

Gender income gap

The gender income gap, meanwhile, is being driven by lower female participation rates in the workforce and higher rates of part-time employment among women.

The report said this gap often starts after the birth of a child and continues throughout a women’s life.

It indicated strong support in Ireland for policies to encourage fathers to take up parental leave, though not to make leave for fathers mandatory. The support for these policies is stronger in those under the age of 40, which suggests that norms could be changing over time, the ESRI said.

It went on to suggest ways that could improve the take-up of child-related leave in Ireland.

“Relying on employers to top-up parents’ incomes results in a large variation in how much of pre-birth earnings are covered during leave, as top-ups vary significantly across different employers,” it said.

“Increasing the replacement rate of State-funded benefits to cover a larger proportion of earnings would likely increase take-up by fathers.” 

It also suggested promoting awareness of leave entitlements among fathers, in particular, would help boost take-up, while efforts should be made to address workplace norms and attitudes that may discourage fathers from taking leave.

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Report co-author, the ESRI’s Claire Keane, said: “This report underscores the importance of child-related leave policies in addressing gender inequalities in the workplace.

“By implementing the recommended policy changes, Ireland can make significant strides towards achieving greater gender equality and supporting both mothers and fathers in balancing work and family responsibilities.”