Etsy is joining the ranks of tech giants offering more expansive benefits to parents in the race to attract talent.

The DIY e-commerce company said today that it will begin offering all new parents half-a-year of paid parental leave starting in April. In addition, Etsy will offer new adoption and surogacy benefits as well as coaching programs for new parents and their managers.

"We felt like it was time. We felt the policies weren't really as competitive anymore as we wanted them to be," says Juliet Gorman, Etsy's director of culture and engagement.

Tech companies have long vied for the best employees by competing on benefits. Google and Facebook are known for their free food and other on-campus amenities. More recently, tech companies in particular have started focusing on perks for new parents. Microsoft, Netflix, and Adobe all expanded their programs last year with generous paid-leave programs that means parents aren't pressured to choose between their new children and their jobs.

Etsy says that part of the impetus for its program was to ensure uniform benefits for both male and female employees around the world, whether caring for a newborn or a newly adopted child. In the past, Etsy's policies varied depending on the laws and standards of a locale. In the US, for example, Etsy offered only 12 weeks to primary caregivers and 5 weeks to secondary caregivers.

Still, researchers say that seemingly generous parental leave policies mean little if companies don't also foster a culture where employees themselves feel comfortable taking advantage of the time off. To work, that culture often has to be set from the top. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg set an example when he took two months of paternity leave after his daughter Max was born.

At Etsy, CEO Chad Dickerson took nine weeks off when he and his wife adopted their son a few years ago. He's also been an outspoken supporter of paternity leave. "We think of this as the long game," Gorman says.