In April, an Ibec Employment Law Conference heard that taking parental leave could amount to “career suicide” for male employees.
Only half of fathers avail of paternity leave and a quarter of men take parent’s leave, compared with two-thirds of mothers, the conference heard. The reluctance to take leave is grounded in a belief that it will hinder their career progress or even fatally undermine it.
Legally the situation is clear. Parental leave entitlements were introduced in Ireland almost 27 years ago, in 1998. Currently, parents or those acting in loco parentis are entitled to take 26 weeks’ unpaid leave per child up to the age of 12, or up to 16 if the child has a disability.
Paternity leave was introduced in 2016 providing a right to take two weeks paternity leave within the first six months of the child’s birth or adoption, and parents also have the right to take parent’s leave since November 2019. This stands at nine weeks leave during the first two years of a child’s life, or in the case of adoption, within two years of placement.
Culturally the situation is not so clear.
“A recent report from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Economic and Social Research Institute on Child Related Leave: Usage and Implications for Gender Equality found that take-up of paid paternity leave is about 50 per cent, with income-related concerns, company size, seniority and the age of the father having an impact on uptake,” says Mary Gavin, managing associate at legal and professional services firm Ogier.
The implications for women are concerning. “The main impact is often a reduction of hours to accommodate childcare which inherently leads to a reduction in pay and pension, but there can also be a reluctance to progress careers when childcare demands are high,” says Gavin.
“While attitudes are changing, there is clearly some way to go until there is satisfactory uptake and women will continue to disproportionately shoulder childcare duties at the expense of career progression and earnings.”
Some employers are working on it. AIB has a strong suite of family leave offerings and policies to support all colleagues to achieve the right balance at various life stages, says Sinead Cogan, the bank’s head of organisational effectiveness
“We’ve started a campaign to promote and encourage more male colleagues to avail of family leave, in particular carers leave and parental leave. We’re encouraging more male colleagues to share their stories, how they’ve availed of these supports and continue progressing their careers,” she says.
“This is an important step for our organisation to ensure our culture remains inclusive and provides the opportunity for all employees to thrive in their careers in AIB, and more broadly in the communities we serve, given the overall impact on society.”
The issue is much more complex than just workplace policies, says Vicky O’Neill, HR strategy specialist with Ibec, the employer body, adding that if we are serious as a society about the need for gender equality and work-life balance, then a wider public policy transformation will be required.
“While parental leave has emerged as an opportunity to promote better gender equality, cultural and organisational barriers can still exist preventing men from taking leave as parents,” says O’Neill.
The financial implication of taking parental leave is another challenge. “Some employees may express concerns about the potential impact on their careers and income. This is closely connected to flexibility stigma, something unfortunately women are often more subjected to than men. Flexibility stigma means, even when adaptable work options are available, there is hidden shame in using them,” she explains.
Research suggests that employees are more likely to encounter scepticism about their commitment or competence when they seek flexibility, O’Neill says. Flexibility is too often “spoken about in the same breath as women with children and a code for ‘part-time’”, she adds.
“This diverts attention from those diverse employees who may want flexibility, including males. Not only is that a disservice to the breadth of employees who may want flexibility – fathers who want to be involved in the care of their children, employees who are involved in the care of parents or loved ones – but it also causes real problems for women as it reinforces the status quo and gendered patterns of work and care which position men in paid employment and less often in care and domestic roles, and women as primary carers.”
O’Neill adds: “HR and business leaders have a unique opportunity to foster an inclusive environment for all, through strategies that encourage fathers to embrace parental leave. Having flexible, care-supportive policies that employees avail of can lead to measurable financial gains such as higher retention, increased productivity and reduced absenteeism.”
