Indian fathers take just 7 days — 2nd largest gap between maternity and paternity leave among 12 major economies, mothers leave work

India has the second-largest gap between maternity and paternity leave among 12 major economies, new data from global recruitment and payroll platform Deel has shown. While the typical Indian mother takes 130 working days of parental leave, fathers typically take just seven – the shortest paternity leave of any country surveyed.

The analysis involved nearly 5,000 parents in 12 major economies, and the results showed that while a country’s shared parental leave policy may look fair and generous on paper, it does not necessarily translate into more equal leave taking in practice, the report said.

Mothers are more likely to leave work after the holidays. 25% of Indian mothers left their role within six months of leaving their leave, compared to 20% of fathers.
While this is below the global average (30% of mothers, 23% of fathers), there are still gender gaps in parental leave.

The difference between parental leave exists (almost) everywhere

Globally, the study found that mothers on long maternity leave lose wages much more than fathers (especially in the UK). He noted that British mothers on leave take home less than half their usual pay after four months.

Overall, the mother sees the greatest impact of pregnancy. The study noted that the gender gap is repeatedly shown, with mothers taking much longer, less interrupted and less well-paid leave. They are also more likely to use vacation days for parental leave and are more likely to leave their jobs when they return, it said.

It also found that company size was the biggest predictor of time off, with mothers at larger employers taking around 80 more days of leave compared to those at smaller firms, the report added. This pattern persists across demographics, country location and leave entitlement policies.

Why worry about the parental leave gap?

The study noted that for men and women starting in the same occupations, the gender pay gap widens once children arrive — and remains so for years. This is called the “child penalty” in economics, documented across industries, occupations and countries, he explains.

“Parental leave inequality is one of the first places where this penalty shows up, and some research has found that fathers who take more leave cause mothers to earn more later,” he said. The two main lessons that come up repeatedly throughout the study were:

Politics matter immensely and
Gender shapes the experience of new parenthood wherever you are in the world.

Notably, the data covers full-time employees on the Deel platform and is therefore skewed towards white-collar workers. The 12 countries surveyed include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.