Accra, Ghana, October 22, 2026: Fathers receive, on average, only one-eighth of the paid parental leave available to mothers worldwide, a gap that can reinforce unequal caregiving responsibilities and limit women’s opportunities in paid employment, according to a new policy brief by UN Women and the World Bank Group.
The brief, launched on 22 October 2026, examines how parental leave policies shape the distribution of care between women and men, with consequences for family life, children’s development and economies.
Its findings point to a persistent imbalance in how countries recognise the responsibilities of parenthood. Across 190 economies examined, 61 do not meet the International Labour Organization’s benchmark of at least 14 weeks of maternity leave. Six provide no guaranteed paid maternity leave, while 66 offer fathers no paid leave.
Among the 124 economies that provide fathers with paid leave, half offer fewer than two weeks. Overall, mothers are entitled to nearly eight times as much paid leave as fathers.
For Gender Lens Africa, the findings raise a question that extends beyond the number of days parents can stay home after a birth: when policies give mothers most of the responsibility for early childcare, what does that mean for women’s economic opportunities and men’s participation in family life?
Ghana’s parental leave gap
Ghana illustrates the divide highlighted by the global report.
Section 57 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) entitles a woman worker who meets the statutory requirements to at least 12 weeks of maternity leave with full remuneration and benefits. The period can be extended by at least two weeks in cases of abnormal confinement or multiple births, with further extensions possible for medically certified illness related to pregnancy or childbirth.
The law also provides nursing mothers with an hour during working hours to nurse their babies, with that time treated as paid working time.
However, Ghana’s Labour Act does not establish a statutory entitlement to paid or unpaid paternity leave. The International Labour Organization’s Global Care Policy Portal The International Labour Organization’s Global Care Policy Portal likewise records no statutory paternity leave in Ghana.
This means that fathers do not have a general legal entitlement under the Labour Act to take a specified period of paternity leave when a child is born. Any such leave offered by an employer depends on the applicable workplace policy or employment arrangements.
The difference matters because maternity leave recognises the physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth, while paternity leave can give fathers time to support mothers, establish caregiving routines and take on responsibilities that continue long after the first weeks of a child’s life.
The absence of a statutory entitlement does not mean Ghanaian fathers never take time off to care for newborns. It does, however, mean that access to such leave is not guaranteed by a general paternity-leave provision in the Labour Act.
The cost of placing care on women
UN Women says women spend, on average, 2.5 times as many hours per day on unpaid care work as men.
This includes looking after children, preparing meals, cleaning, supporting older relatives and caring for other family members. Although this work sustains households and makes paid employment possible for others, it is often unpaid and receives limited recognition in economic and workplace policy.
When mothers are expected to manage most of this work, the consequences can extend into their employment. Women may find it harder to return to work, pursue promotions, accept demanding assignments or increase their earnings when suitable childcare and support at home are unavailable.
The burden is not limited to mothers who have just given birth. Care responsibilities can continue for decades, particularly for women who look after children while also supporting ageing parents or other relatives.
UN Women and the World Bank Group argue that more equitable parental leave, combined with wider care services and social protection, can help address this imbalance.
The policy brief also highlights research linking fathers’ use of parental leave with greater participation in childcare and housework over time. It associates paternity leave with higher earnings and employment levels among mothers in private firms, while noting that greater involvement by fathers can help challenge workplace expectations that women alone will shoulder family responsibilities.
These findings do not mean that parental leave alone can eliminate gender inequality. Access to affordable childcare, flexible working arrangements, job security and fair treatment at work also influence whether parents can combine paid employment with family responsibilities.
Fathers want to be more involved, but support is lacking
The policy brief points to a gap between men’s reported caregiving aspirations and the support available to them.
It cites research indicating that 87 per cent of fathers say they lack the support they need, while 83 per cent report that their employers do not offer flexible working arrangements. More than 64 per cent would support higher taxes to expand public care services.
These findings challenge the assumption that men are necessarily unwilling to participate in caregiving. They suggest that workplace practices, social expectations and the availability of support can influence whether fathers have the opportunity to do so.
Where taking leave carries financial or professional penalties, or where leave is unavailable altogether, fathers may return to work immediately while mothers absorb most of the early caregiving responsibilities.
Policies that give fathers meaningful time off can help establish a different pattern. They can make caregiving a shared responsibility rather than treating it as an extension of women’s domestic duties.
The benefits can also reach children. The brief cites research linking more responsive fathering with better cognitive functioning, language development, emotional regulation and behaviour.
What would a fairer care system look like for Ghana?
Ghana’s maternity leave provisions recognise some of the demands placed on women during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. But a care system that relies heavily on mothers’ time cannot, on its own, deliver equal opportunities for women and men.
Introducing a statutory paternity leave entitlement would be one step towards recognising fathers as caregivers in their own right. Its design would matter: the duration of leave, payment, eligibility, job protection and arrangements for different categories of workers would determine whether fathers could realistically use it.
Ghana would also need to consider the circumstances of workers in informal employment, who may not have the same access to employer-provided benefits as workers in formal jobs. A policy limited to a narrow group of salaried employees would leave many families outside its protection.
Affordable childcare, support for older people and other dependants, and workplace arrangements that allow both parents to manage care responsibilities would also be important.
The aim should not be to reduce the protections available to mothers. Pregnancy, childbirth and recovery involve specific physical demands that paternity leave cannot replace. Rather, it is to ensure that mothers receive the support they need while fathers have a meaningful opportunity to share caregiving.
Care is an economic issue, not just a family matter
The UN Women and World Bank Group brief comes ahead of the International Day of Care and Support on 29 October 2026.
The two organisations are calling for care systems that challenge discriminatory gender norms, recognise men and boys as caregivers, and promote a more equal distribution of care work across the life course.
For Ghana, the findings invite a broader discussion about how labour law and workplace policy recognise the responsibilities of parenthood.
If women are expected to return to paid work while continuing to carry most domestic and caregiving responsibilities, their access to economic opportunity remains constrained. If fathers are not given a meaningful opportunity to participate in early care, unequal patterns can become entrenched from a child’s first days.
Recognising care as essential work requires more than celebrating mothers or encouraging fathers to help at home. It requires policies that allow both parents to participate in family life without placing an unfair share of the financial and professional costs on women.
The question for Ghana is whether its employment protections will evolve to reflect that shared responsibility.
Source: UN Women and World Bank Group, Women, Business and the Law policy brief, launched 22 October 2026. Ghana’s legal provisions are drawn from the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), and the ILO Global Care Policy Portal.
