Male same-sex couples are losing out on paid parental leave, according to a new study.
Mixed-sex couples and same-sex female parents have it much better, researchers have said.
They looked at the length of maternity, paternity and shared parental leave in 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and whether policies were worded in ways that included or excluded same-sex couples.
In 33 countries, excluding the US which offers no paid leave for new parents, researchers found same-sex female couples received equal amounts of paid leave to mixed-sex couples in 19 nations.
Same-sex male couples got equal amounts of leave in only four.
The duration of paid leave varied greatly, with mixed-sex couples receiving between 13 and 184 weeks.
Same-sex female couples had between 12 and 164 weeks, and same-sex male couples entitlement was from zero to 156 weeks.
Study leader Elizabeth Wong, from the University of California in Los Angeles, said: Many of the differences we found may be the indirect consequences of gender-restrictive language that assumes women are the primary caregivers and that every family has one mother and one father.
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These assumptions often undervalue the importance of fathers involvement.
When they do, same-sex male couples and male partners of mothers are the most disadvantaged.
Ms WongRead More – Source
