In 2023 the Australian Government reformed the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme to make it more flexible and gender neutral. A key objective of the reforms was to encourage both parents to share caring arrangements. This project explored how forms and websites support parents’ intentions to share their parental leave entitlements.

Overall, the research suggests that government policies, and the ways these are communicated and implemented, can both reflect and influence broader social norms – with both then informing individuals’ choices. As such, seemingly minor changes to the wording and structure of government websites and forms can reduce confusion and broaden care options for parents.

Key findings

• Interviews with new and soon-to-be parents found that decision-making on PPL was influenced by the enduring norm that mothers are the ‘primary carers’. 
• Employers are a trusted source of guidance about parental leave, but misconceptions exist about the difference between employer-funded and government-funded PPL.
• In a separate survey experiment it was found that – compared with the current form – making the option to share days more salient and mentioning the purpose of the PPL scheme encourages fathers to claim more days.