For 18% of Aussie corporates, it did. That is the share in our 2026 Parental Leave Survey who said taking parental leave damaged their career. Nearly a third rated their company's policy as inadequate.
What did the 2026 Parental Leave Survey find?
| Finding | Result |
|---|---|
| Say taking parental leave damaged their career | 18% |
| Rate their company's policy as inadequate | Nearly a third |
| Leave the median primary carer gets | 16 weeks |
| Leave the median secondary carer gets | 4 weeks |
| Culture score where leave is under 6 weeks | 4.2 out of 10 |
| Culture score where leave is 13 to 16 weeks | 8.2 out of 10 |
Generous leave goes with better culture. The survey found a positive correlation between how generous a parental leave policy is and how people score their workplace culture.
Why does parental leave hurt some careers?
Generous leave on paper doesn't protect you if the culture punishes you for taking it. In a separate community poll on pay, women told us what happened to their role while they were away.
Yes. I found out when I was promoted and these 2 males who were covering for me during mat leave were paid 30k more (yes 2 replacing me ...)
Yep! When I went on mat leave the guy who took my role was getting paid $40k more to do it. When I came back I ask to be matched and got turned down
Women are treated as a flight risk before having children, penalised while on leave and downgraded after returning.
How much parental leave is enough?
At least 13 weeks, going by our results. Anything below 12 weeks is not enough. Culture scores jump from 4.2 out of 10 at companies offering under 6 weeks to 8.2 at those offering 13 to 16 weeks. The minimum credible policy starts at 13, and anything under 12 is seen as fundamentally broken by the people trying to make it work.
Some industries sit well above that line and some below it. Mining leads on primary carer leave at 19.6 weeks, just ahead of professional services at 19.5. FMCG and retail (11.8 weeks) and health care (11.3 weeks) fall under 12. Mining lags badly on secondary carer leave at 5.1 weeks, and government leads on equality with a secondary carer median of 14 weeks.
Which employers make it safe to take parental leave?
The composite top 5 for overall parental leave experience are Lendlease, HSF Kramer, PwC, QIC and IFM Investors. They pair 26 weeks for the primary carer and 26 for the secondary carer with employees feeling safe going on leave.
The full ranking of who gives the most is in our best employers for parental leave results.
What should you check before you take parental leave?
Start with tenure. Roughly half of Australia's most generous parental leave policies require some minimum time in the job, from 3 months at BHP and 6 months at Lendlease and HSF Kramer to a full year at Ashurst and Goldman Sachs.
Then check for strings. 13% of firms in our survey attach a clawback or minimum return period to parental leave, and our guide Do you have to pay back parental leave? explains how they work.
Last, ask people who have taken leave at your employer how they were treated when they came back.
This article draws on our Big Conversation 18% of Aussie corporates say taking parental leave damaged their career, which has the original slides.
Source: The Aussie Corporate 2026 Parental Leave Survey and community poll, data as at September 2026. Spotted an error? Correct something.
