A Comparative Study of Paternity Leave Regulations in Indonesia and Australia
(A Labor Law Perspective)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61104/alz.v4i1.2835Keywords:
paternity leave, labor law, Indonesia, AustraliaAbstract
Paternity leave is a special entitlement granted to male employees to take time off from work to accompany their spouses during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early stages of childcare. The existence of paternity leave plays an important role in balancing opportunities between men and women, thereby fostering a gender-friendly workplace environment. In Indonesia, the right to paternity leave has been regulated under Law No. 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower and Law No. 4 of 2024 concerning Maternal and Child Welfare during the First 1,000 Days of Life. Meanwhile, in Australia, paternity leave is comprehensively regulated under the Fair Work Act 2009.
This research aims to provide a comparative analysis of paternity leave regulations in Indonesia and Australia from a labor law perspective. The study adopts a normative juridical method with a comparative approach, relying on primary and secondary legal materials obtained through a literature study.
The findings reveal that Indonesia provides only limited entitlements to paternity leave, both in terms of duration and implementation, with weak legal protection. In contrast, Australia offers a more developed framework under the Fair Work Act 2009, which includes longer leave duration, the possibility of extensions, and structured payment schemes. These provisions reflect Australia’s stronger commitment to gender equality, family welfare, and the recognition of fathers’ roles in child-rearing.
The study concludes that Indonesia’s regulatory framework requires harmonization with international standards, particularly by adopting key aspects of the Australian model. Strengthening the legal protection of paternity leave in Indonesia is essential to promote gender equality in the workplace and within the family, while also supporting fathers’ active participation in childcare.
References
Addati, Laura, & Cassirer. (2018). Maternity and Paternity at Work : Law and Practice Across the World. Geneva: International Labour Office.
Adityarani, N. W. (2020). Hak Cuti Melahirkan Bagi Pekerja Perempuan Sebagai Penerapan Hukum Hak Asasi Manusia Dan Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Perempuan di Indonesia. Jurnal Fundamental Justice, 17.
Armia, M. S. (2022). Penentuan Metode dan Pendekatan Penelitian Hukum. Banda Aceh: Lembaga Kajian Konstitusi Indonesia.
Baird, M., Hamilton, M., & Constatin, A. (2021). Gender Equality and Paid Parental Leave in Australia: A Decade of Giant Leaps or Baby Steps. JIR: Journal of Industrial Relations, 12.
Baird, M., Whelan, J., & Page, A. (2009). Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental
Broomhiil, R., & Sharp, R. (2012). Australia's Parental Leave Policy and Gender Equality : An International Comparison. Adelaide: Australian Workplace Innovation and Social Research Centre University of Adelaide.
Carslon, Kacmar, & Wayne. (2020). Meausring the Positive Side of The WorkFamily Interfance: Development and Validation of Work- Family Enrichment Scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 164. Dira, I.
Fahrojih, I. (2017). Hukum Perburuhan, Konsepsi, Sejarah, dan Jaminan Konstitusional. Jakarta: Setara Press.
Fisher, Bulger, & Smith. (2019). Beyond Work and Family: A Measure Of Work /Non Work Interference and Enhancement. Journal of Occupational. Health Psychology, 441.
Guryan, J., Hurst, E., & Kearney, M. (2018). Parental Education and Parental Time With Children. Journal Of Economic Perspectives, 14.111 Handayani, A. (2019). Keseimbangan Kerja Keluarga pada Perempuan
Bekerja: Tinjauan Teori Border. Jurnal Buletin Psikologi, 8.
Hidayati. (2022). Ekonomi Sumber Daya Manusia . Sukoharjo: Penerbit
Pradina Pustaka.
Ibrahim, J. (2017). Teori & Metodologi Penelitian Hukum Normatif,
Cetakan keIII. Malang: Bayumedia Publishing.
Iftitah, A., Puspitasari, N. R., & Yulianti, N. (2023). Kesetaraan Gender
Dalam Hukum Ketenagakerjaan. Jurnal Ilmu Hukum dan
Administrasi Negara
Lamb, M. E. (2019). The Role of The Father in Child Development: Fourth
Edition. Canada: Library of Congress Cataloging.
Leave For Australia: An Evaluation Of The Context, Evidence and Policy
Options. Sydney: Published by the Women Work Research Group. Baxter, J. (2019). Parental Time With Children. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Lott, Y. (2019). Is Maternal Labor Market Re-entry After Childbirth Facilitated By Mother's and Partners' Flextime? Human Relations, 23.
Marzuki, P. M. (2016). Penelitian Hukum, Cetakan Ke-5. Jakarta: Kencana. Mochado, C., Neto, V., & Szerman, C. (2023). Firm and Worker Responses to Extensions in Paid Maternity Leave. London: IZA Institute of
Labor Economics : Intiated by Deutsche Post Foundation.
MP, H. C. (2009). Paid Parental Leave : Support For Parents With Newborn
Children. Productivity Commission Inquiry Report, 11.
Munisah, Eka, R., & Yuliati, L. (2021). Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Terjadinya Depresi Pascapersalinan. IJMI: Indonesian Journalof
Midwifery Today,
Murdoko, E. W. (2017). Parenting With Leadership: Peran Orang Tua
Dalam Mengoptimalkan dan Memberdayakan Potensi Anak. Jakarta:
PT. Elex Media Komputindo.
Oceanio, V. D. (2022). Maternity Leave and Gender Equality: Comporative
Studies of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Jurnal Populasi, 17.
P., & Wahyuni, A. A. (2016). Prevalensi dan Faktor Risiko Depresi Postpartum di Kota Denpasar Menggunakan Edinburg Posnatal
Depression Scale. Jurnal Medika, 6.
Petts, R. J., & Knoester, C. (2018). Paternity Leave-taking and Father
Engagement. HHS Public Access, 144.
Pragg, B., & Knoester, C. (2017). Pemanfaatan Cuti Orang Tua di Kalangan Ayah yang Kurang Beruntung. Journal National Institutes of Health,
Puspitarini, N. (2024). Perbandingan Kebijakan Cuti Paternitas Perwujudan Kesetaraan Dalam Lingkup Ketenagakerjaan Antara Indonesia Dengan Singapura dan Filipina. Jurnal Media Hukum Indonesia (MHI), 19.
Rahmayati, T. E. (2021). Keseimbangan Kerja dan Kehidupan (Work Life Balanced) Pada Wanita Bekerja. Jurnal Insitusi Politeknik Ganesha Medan, 10.
Riyadi, E. (2020). Hukum Hak Asasi Manusia Perspektif Internasional, Regional dan Nasional: Cetakan Pertama. Depok: Rajawali Pers.
Rush, P. (2017). Dad and Partner Pay: Implications for policy makers and practitioners. Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Shaputra, A. A., & Perkasaputra, A. (2022). Hak Cuti Persalinan Bagi Ayah:
Tinjauan Analitis Dalam Perspektif Hak Individu Aparatur Sipil
Negara. Kultura: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora, 5.
Siron, Y., Ningrum, H. S., & Gustiani, L. (2020). Father's Involvment In Parenting Children With Cerebral Palsy. Journal of Early Childhood
Education, 185.
Tanaka, S., & Waldfogel, J. (2019). Effects Of Parental Leave And Work
Hours On Father's Involvement With Their Babies. Community
Work & Family,
Ulfiyah, N. (2018). Peranan Cuti Karyawan Dalam Rangka Mengurangi
Stress Kerja Karyawan. Jurnal Administrasi Bisnis, 112.
Whitehouse, G., & Brady, M. (2019). Parental Leave, Social Inequalities and The Future of Work: Possibilities and Constraints Within the Australian Policy Framework. Journal of the Social and Economics,
Agustus.
Wibawa, S., & Ayu, A. M. (2019). Pelaksanaan Pemberian Cuti Melahirkan
Bagi Tenaga Kerja Wanita Pada PT. PLN (Persero), Tbk. Distribusi
Bali. Jurnal Kertha Semaya, 3.
Wiryawan, W. G. (2023). The Rights of Paternity Leave for Husbands in
Indonesian Legal Renewal. International Journal of Criminal Justice
Science , 11.
Yoga, K., & Surya, I. B. (2020). Pelaksanaan Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap
Hak Cuti Hamil Pekerja Perempuan Di Inna Sindhu Beach Hotel.
Jurnal Ilmu Hukum,
Yuliani, W. (2018). Metode Penelitian Deskriptif Kualitatif Dalam Perspektif
BimbinganDan Konseling. Quanta: Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan Dan Konseling Dalam Pendidikan, 83-91.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Diana Setiawati, Hanif Bagus Mashari, Rizki Apriansah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a 