Women's share of unpaid work, including caregiving, has remained stable since the 1960s. Therefore, women are far more likely than men to do non-traditional work, such as seasonal, part-time, and contract work, and therefore women do not often work the requisite number of hours for eligibility.
So in order to increase access to maternity and parental benefits, we must increase accessibility, eligibility, and flexibility to increase economic security for new mothers.