ABSTRACT Parental leave policies have considerable potential to contribute to the advancement of social equalities, however this is highly contingent on design features such as breadth of coverage and, for gender equality, support for a shared earner/carer social model. These characteristics are in turn shaped by the prevailing welfare state regime and gender order, with coverage also dependent on levels of labour market fragmentation and insecurity. In this paper we examine a number of these intersecting influences in the Australian case. We show that Australian parental leave policies have relatively broad coverage, but note limitations and gaps that could be exacerbated in a future, more fragmented, labour market. We also underline the extent to which current provisions reflect and consolidate, rather than challenge, a ‘maternalist’ care regime. In conclusion, we canvass strategies to optimise coverage and support gender equality in the future, recognising the constraints of path dependencies arising from Australia’s distinctive policy history and the ensuing tension between a ‘welfare’ and ‘employment’ basis for entitlements. Policy adaptations to strengthen connections with employment and move beyond a ‘primary carer’ focus are recommended as conducive to a more egalitarian future.

中文翻译：

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育儿假，社会不平等和工作的未来：澳大利亚政策框架内的可能性和制约因素

摘要育儿假政策在促进社会平等方面具有巨大潜力，但是这在很大程度上取决于设计特征，例如覆盖面的广度以及为实现性别平等而支持共同的赚钱/照护者社会模式。这些特征又由当时的福利国家制度和性别秩序所决定，其覆盖范围还取决于劳动力市场的分散程度和不安全感。在本文中，我们研究了在澳大利亚案例中许多这些相互影响的影响。我们表明，澳大利亚的育儿假政策覆盖面相对较广，但要注意的局限性和差距可能会在未来更加分散的劳动力市场中加剧。我们还强调了现行规定在多大程度上反映和巩固而不是挑战“母爱主义”护理制度。总而言之，我们认识到澳大利亚独特的政策历史以及权利的“福利”和“就业”基础之间随之产生的紧张关系，从而制定了优化覆盖范围和支持未来性别平等的战略。建议采取政策调整以加强与就业的联系并超越“主要照顾者”的重点，因为这有利于实现更加平等的未来。