Such schemes are more likely than flat-rate payments to prompt high earners and men to claim part of their entitlements. However, as leave payments do not fully replace the leave-taker’s wage, and since women often earn less than their partners, they are still more likely than men to take up all, or most, of the leave entitlement. Figure 5 shows the differences in public expenditure per childbirth when all types of leave and “birth grants” are considered.