Is mandating paternity leave the way to go?

Back in my home country of Australia, paternity leave exists, but it hasn't quite taken hold in the same way as maternity leave. Under the Fair Work Act, both parents can access up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave, but uptake from dads has always been modest. Research shows only about 40% of eligible fathers access it, with many constrained by workplace culture or financial pressure.

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That's probably why Japan's latest move caught my eye. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (one of the country's biggest banks) will now require fathers to take at least one month of paternity leave if they have children under two. The bank will even pay a bonus to both the employee and their colleagues if business continues smoothly during the absence, which is a pretty clever way of reframing childcare leave as a team-building opportunity, IMO.

Here in Japan it seems that more fathers are beginning to take leave, with the article I linked above mentioning that 40.5% of dads with infants did so in 2024. The problem is that the average leave lasted just under two weeks, so mandating a month may be the only way to normalize men stepping away from work and actively participating in family life.

Is paternity leave available in your home country? Are there mandated requirements to take the leave, or is it an optional thing?