Your article misses on important detail. Gender equality in leave is something to be strived, but what of mothers who want to stay home for the full leave and care for the children. Your idea of the 6 months for the mother and 6 months for the father of non-transferable leave, would discriminate against mothers who choose to and want to stay home to care for their children. It would also hamper efforts to increase the length of time mothers breast feed their children. It is recommened in Canada, to breast feed until at least age 1. So, a better system would be to allow the mother to take 1 year off at FTE, and then the father another 6 months to 1 year at FTE. I personally feel that parents should be supported until the children enter school age and the primary caregiver can then return to the workforce.