In recent decades, scholars in family and gender studies have examined the correlation between shared paid parenting leave (PPL) and both parents’ reconciliation of employment, childcare and domestic work. However, longitudinal qualitative studies on dual PPL uptake – where both parents take at least five months of leave – are scarce. We address this gap by analyzing 42 couple interviews (2021-2022) and 42 individual interviews (2023-2024) with heterosexual parents in Austria who took at least five months of PPL. We examine how parents negotiate employment and childcare, with a focus on fathers’ emerging hands-on practices. Findings reveal distinct fathering styles, linked to goals in achieving gender equity, father-infant bonding, and promoting both parents’ career trajectories. While shared PPL promotes equitable labor division and strengthens family bonds, men’s career focus is often supported by systemic advantages, privileging them as employees and involved parents. Women, meanwhile, face heightened expectations in parenting and career advancement, and still bear more emotional and cognitive labour. Our analysis contributes to the broader understanding of how sharing PPL can promote more equitable divisions of labour and of parenting responsibilities, highlighting a complex interplay between policy, gender norms, and family dynamics, with implications for both research and practice, and underscoring the need for policies that address not only time off work but also the cultural and structural barriers to equitable care.