Australia is falling behind OECD countries on several measures for paid parental leave. In a previous article, we describe how Nordic countries are leading the way with their progressive and equitable parental leave schemes.

Iceland, for example, offers both men and women three months paid leave each at 80% of their previous wage and universal payments for non-working parents.

In a new Power to Persuade blog post, Dr Belinda Townsend and Professor Lyndall Strazdins outline how the paid parental scheme came to be and offer guidance for the future.

"Importantly, the first scheme demonstrated the power of investment in this critical period after the birth of a child. There was no economic disaster or disadvantage – the opposite occurred in fact."

And what are the next steps for paid parental leave in Australia? We have options. Read about the possibilities in the blog post.