Huge disparity in parental leave, India ranks second among 12 economies

According to a new study conducted by the global hiring and payroll platform 'Deel', India ranks second among 12 major economies regarding the gap between maternal and paternal parental leave. This report shows that a very large difference is observed in the pattern of taking leave between mothers and fathers in India.

According to the findings of the study, a mother in India typically takes 130 working days of parental leave, while fathers generally take only 7 days of leave. It is noteworthy that this 7-day leave for fathers is the shortest leave among all the countries included in the study. These figures indicate that the gap between maternal and paternal leave in India's economy is extremely deep.

Approximately 5,000 parents from 12 major economies were included under this analysis. The report stated that even if a country's shared parental leave policies appear equal and generous on paper, it does not mean that leaves are taken equally in practice. That is, despite having policies, the reality can be different.

This global study revealed that mothers taking long maternity leave experience a much larger decrease in income compared to fathers, especially in the UK. According to the report, mothers in the UK who go on leave after four months receive less than half of their usual take-home pay. Overall, the greatest impact of pregnancy is observed on mothers.

The study noted that a gender gap is frequently observed, where mothers take longer, less interrupted, and lower-income leaves. Additionally, mothers are more likely to use their vacation days for parental leave and are also more likely to quit their jobs after returning from leave.

A significant impact of company size on the duration of leave was observed. The report added that mothers working in large companies take approximately 80 days more leave compared to those in small companies. This pattern is also observed across demographic details, country location, and policies regarding leave entitlements.

For men and women who start in the same profession, the gender-based pay gap increases rapidly after the arrival of children and persists for subsequent years. In economics, this phenomenon is known as the "child penalty," which is recorded across various industries, professions, and countries. As stated in Deel's report, this disparity in parental leave is the first place where this penalty appears. Research has also found that fathers who take a larger share of leave enable mothers to earn more in the future.

The 12 countries included in this study include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. This data covers full-time employees on Deel's platform, therefore it is more skewed towards white-collar professionals.

Deel is a global hiring and payroll platform that helps companies hire employees worldwide and manage their payroll transactions.