GENEVA (ILO News) – A new brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals a global average gap of over five months in paid parental leave rights between men and women, calling for urgent action to close this gender gap.

The publication, Closing the Gender Gap in Paid Parental Leaves, is the first in the ILO’s new ILO Care Economy Brief series. Released to mark the 25th anniversary of the Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), it finds that mothers are entitled to an average of 24.7 weeks of paid parental leaves, while fathers receive just 2.2 weeks, a gap of over five months.

“This gap reinforces gender inequalities at home and in the labour market,” said Sukti Dasgupta, Director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department. “Equal, non-transferable leave entitlements for both parents, publicly financed and supported by social protection systems, are critical for real change.”

A global gender gap with real consequences 

The fact that many women are entitled to paid parental leaves, including maternity leave, is a positive achievement and reflects growing alignment with the ILO Maternity Protection Convention (No. 183), a pre-condition for gender equality. However, to achieve true equality in care responsibilities and the labour market, men must also be granted adequate, non-transferable paid parental leaves. Without this, entrenched gender roles will tend to persist, and care responsibilities will continue to fall disproportionately on women. 

Illustrative image 

The brief shows that 57 per cent of the global population lives in countries where women receive three to six months more paid parental leaves than men, and in 28 countries the difference exceeds one year. In 71 countries, fathers receive no statutory paid parental leaves at all. 

The brief argues that policy design matters as much as duration. When paternity leave is poorly paid, not job-protected or financed by employers, fathers are unlikely to take it, leaving care responsibilities to fall disproportionately on women. According to an ILO study, in 2023, 708 million women of working age were outside the labour force due to unpaid care responsibilities, compared to 40 million men.

 “Closing the gender gap in paid parental leaves requires integrating the fundamental principle of equality of opportunity and treatment for workers with family responsibilities into practice” added Dasgupta. “This includes ratifying and implementing the ILO Maternity Protection Convention (No. 183), recognizing fathers’ role in caregiving, and ensuring universal coverage of parental leaves.” 

ILO estimates using the ILO Care Policy Investment Simulator suggest that providing at least 14 weeks paid leave at 67 per cent of previous earnings to all women and men  would require an additional global annual investment of US$ 142 billion by 2035. On average, it represents an annual increase of 0.13 per cent of GDP over current public investment, ranging from 0.08 per cent of GDP in Europe and Central Asia to 0.49 per cent in the Arab States. This investment could potentially generate over four million formal jobs globally.

Roadmaps for reform 

While 121 countries recognize a right to paternity leave, only 105 provide paid paternity leave, and just 37 have introduced or extended paternity leave in the past decade. 

Examples from around the world offer inspiration. Spain’s gender-neutral system has effectively closed the gap. Nordic countries, such as Sweden, have increased fathers’ leave uptake through “use-it-or-lose-it” quotas. Countries, including the Seychelles, Costa Rica, Denmark, Mongolia and Oman, have adopted mixed-financing models to include informal workers and non-nationals. In Singapore, reforms introduced in 2024 extended shared parental leave —each parent will receive three weeks, rising to five weeks in 2026 — helping both employers plan and families share caregiving duties. 

 The brief outlines four key policy actions:

• Ratify and align maternity protection with ILO standards – While 54 countries meet Convention No. 183’s requirements, many still need to ratify and implement it, especially shifting financing away from employers.
• Recognize and support fathers’ caregiving role – Paid paternity leave should include job protection, be of adequate duration, be well paid, publicly funded, and non-transferable to encourage use and redistribute unpaid care responsibilities.
• Provide paid parental leave for each parent – Entitlements should be individual, not household-based, with adequate benefits and with flexible options like part-time leave to encourage uptake by fathers.
• Ensure inclusive financing and coverage – Social protection-based financing and social dialogue are essential to reach workers in informal and non-standard employment, as well as micro, small, medium-sized enterprises.

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