* January 2011, Australia's first national
Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme was introduced bringing Australia into line with almost all other OECD countries.
At the federal level, legislation has been proposed that would, among other things, require a minimum amount of
paid parental leave. But to date, no federal legislation has gained much traction.
Scott Cooper, an IT manager at law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, wants to make full use of the 14 weeks
paid parental leave offered by his firm when he becomes a dad for the first time this September.
We also consider the almost simultaneous Productivity Commission enquiry into
paid parental leave and recent industrial disputes over the FWA's flexibility clause requirements.
International comparisons of
paid parental leave policies often leave New Zealand's policies looking woefully inadequate compared to those of the Nordic societies, and certainly less comprehensive than in most other OECD countries (Department of Labour 2007, Families Commission 2007, James 2002, Susan Kell Associates 2007).
To encourage fathers to make more use of
paid parental leave and to put pressure on employers through legal enforcement, Sweden introduced a non transferable daddy-month in 1995 that fathers must take or it will be lost.
We need to far greater investment in
paid parental leave and breastfeeding support across all workplaces to increase breastfeeding rates globally."
With family friendly policies good for families, businesses and economies, UNICEF is globally calling for increased investment in four priority areas At least 6 months of
paid parental leave that is available for both parents.
Research on
paid parental leave and its benefits for health and family is becoming popular.
The automaker's EMEA parental leave policy is a pilot scheme that could possibly lead to a global roll-out of a similar
paid parental leave policy for all 43,000 Volvo Cars employees around the globe.
Specifically, these women leave in pursuit of better benefits packages, placing an emphasis on those packages that include
paid parental leave. The United States is the only democratic industrialized country to not have mandated
paid parental leave for its government workforce.