Our thinking

Daddy day care

12 March, 2021

In the week that the world celebrated International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight how policies that target both men and women in the workplace can be key to achieving gender equality.

It’s no secret that Covid has exacerbated the disproportionate burden of childcare on women among other things. And the frequently cited solution of increasing representation within decision-making bodies is one way to resolve this.

What we’ve noticed is that, given that childcare is a key piece of the gender equality puzzle, companies that are more inclusive of women tend to be more progressive when it comes to parental leave policies.

And the clue is in the name – this is about parental leave, not maternity policies. An Accenture report found that maternity leave alone hinders women’s career progression, whilst encouraging parental leave for both partners eliminates the negative impact – and actually increases women’s chances of advancement very slightly.

To follow that up, McKinsey reported this week that uptake of paternity leave can increase mothers’ incomes by 7% in the short- to mid-term for each month a father spent at home. By being able to support their partners, especially in the early stages, men say they experience greater bonding with their children and their partners, and even considered staying in their organisations for longer too.

The key takeaway here is that women shouldn’t have to do it alone. And a simple policy win-win is one way to help make that happen.

By Cara McEvoy