In both the United States and Australia, women provide the bulk of care for infants, establishing patterns that may have ongoing effects on how mothers (and fathers) balance work and care obligations throughout the childrearing years.

This project, which is part of Deborah Widiss' research as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, compares and contrasts recently-enacted paid parental leave (PPL) schemes in the United States and Australia to assess the extent to which different structures may perpetuate gendered divisions of family labor.