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New analysis of paid parental leave (PPL) uptake has found that men are now taking PPL at similar or higher rates than women in some parts of the finance sector, thanks to improvements in union negotiated enterprise agreements.

That’s according to a new report published today by the Finance Sector Union (FSU), which calls for universal PPL as the standard across all workplaces, as governments and employers alike look for meaningful pathways to gender equity. 

Universal PPL gives both parents equal access to parental leave regardless of their caring role, and offers full wage replacement and other supports when one parent is off work.  

The FSU’s report, The leave revolution: The case for universal paid parental leave, documents the evolution of PPL in the Australian finance sector and examines how various employers have increased male participation in parental leave by developing a workplace culture that actively encourages fathers to take more time off work to look after their children.  

For example, in 2022 before NAB introduced its universal PPL scheme, men made up just 6% of its primary parental leave users. By 2025, that figured had soared to 49%.  

Similarly, CBUS Super began its universal PPL policy in 2021 and men now make up the majority of workers taking parental leave, despite the workforce being broadly gender balanced. 

Research has found that the increasing number of fathers taking parental leave leads to more equal workplaces and reduces gender discrimination. The Federal Government’s own gender equality strategy identifies that a more balanced use of PPL is an important measure of progress towards gender equality. 

Quotes attributable to FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano: 

“Paid parental leave should belong to the parent, not the gender. 

“We are seeing progress when it comes to challenging the stereotypical family dynamic where men are expected to undertake paid work while women are expected to perform unpaid domestic and caring work, but there is still a long way to go. 

“Today, a quiet revolution is taking place in Australian workplaces when it comes to paid parental leave – and the finance sector is leading the way. 

“Societal expectations, workplace culture and financial pressures remain the biggest barriers to men taking more time off work after becoming fathers – but now we know that when those barriers are addressed and dads are given genuine choice, men are choosing to spend more time raising their children. 

"Universal paid parental leave is just one of many ways we can give families genuine choice and better options, and it's great to see parts of the finance sector leading by example. 

“The Finance Sector Union is calling on all employers to commit to a simple principle: both parents get the same paid leave, at the same rate, with no "primary carer" hoops to jump through.” 

The FSU’s ask: Universal paid parental leave 

The FSU is calling on employers to commit to a simple principle: both parents get the same paid leave, at the same rate, with no "primary carer" hoops to jump through. 

In practice, that means: 

• Equal weeks: both parents are entitled to the same number of paid weeks, not a token allocation for one and the substantive scheme for the other. 

• Equal pay: leave is paid at full replacement rate for both parents - not a reduced rate for whoever isn't designated ‘primary carer’. 

• No primary carer test: eligibility doesn't depend on proving who does more of the caring. Both parents qualify, regardless of how the household splits things. 
• Super: superannuation continues to be paid on both paid and unpaid parental leave, for both parents, the same way it would if they were at work. 

Media contact: Julian Maleevsky – 0430 781 993, [email protected]