Aware Super introduces reproductive health leave

Aware Super has introduced a new reproductive health leave entitlement for employees, offering up to 12 days of paid leave each year to manage reproductive health conditions and related medical treatments.

The new entitlement replaces the fund's previous 10-day menopause leave policy, which was only available to permanent staff. The new leave is broader in scope and open to all eligible permanent and maximum-term employees, whether full-time or part-time.

The entitlement may be used for fertility treatment, conditions including perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and endometriosis.

The leave is gender-inclusive and while many of the conditions it covers predominantly affect women, men can also access the entitlement, including to support a partner going through IVF.

Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart said the fund is deeply committed to gender equity and believes an inclusive and supportive workplace drives better experiences and outcomes for members.

"For too long, reproductive health has been something people have had to manage quietly, often at real cost to their wellbeing and their careers," Stewart said.

"We want our people to feel supported when they're dealing with these very personal health issues. This is about building a workplace where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, and where no one feels they have to choose between their health and their career."

In 2024 Aware Super co-commissioned independent research by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre into the economic case for reproductive health leave. That research found lost productivity from reproductive health conditions costs the Australian economy an estimated $21.3 billion a year.

"Gender equity in the workplace and gender equity in retirement outcomes go hand in hand," Stewart said.

"If we want women to retire with dignity, we need to address the barriers they face throughout their working lives, and reproductive health is one of them."