Why Does Paid Parenting Leave Terminology Matter?: Implications for Policy Design, Monitoring and Comparative Research

Paid parenting leave (PPL) policies have become a central pillar of contemporary welfare states, supporting gender equality, labour market participation, child well-being, and long-term social sustainability. As these policies have expanded in scope, duration and objectives, however, the terminology used to describe them has evolved unevenly across countries, international organisations, databases and academic research. This Policy Brief argues that terminology is not merely a semantic or technical issue, but a core element of governance and knowledge production. The concepts used to name, classify and aggregate parenting leave entitlements shape how policies are designed, monitored, evaluated and compared. Inconsistent terminology weakens cross-national comparability, obscures policy effects and undermines evidence-based policymaking. Drawing on a comprehensive review of international regulations, comparative databases, national terminologies and academic research, the brief demonstrates that traditional distinctions between maternity, paternity and parental leave no longer adequately capture the diversity and complexity of contemporary leave systems. While diversity in national terminology is both inevitable and normatively meaningful, the absence of a harmonised comparative framework has become a major obstacle to effective monitoring, policy learning and research synthesis. The brief concludes that harmonisation of terminology at national level is neither feasible nor desirable, but that harmonised terminology for comparative and monitoring purposes is essential. It proposes the systematic use of an umbrella concept of parenting leave, disaggregated by entitlement type, while always retaining national legal terms and contextual specificity.