New parents in low-paid jobs stand to be $10,500 worse off under a Turnbull government paid parental leave plan intended as a compromise on cuts proposed by Tony Abbott, according to new university research.

The research, commissioned by women's group Fair Agenda and conducted by the University of Sydney's Women and Work Research Group, shows mothers who work in healthcare, teaching and retail could lose between $3942 and $10,512 under the compromise policy.

In the 2015 budget, the Abbott government unveiled changes restricting 80,000 new mothers from "double dipping" by accessing both employer and government parental leave schemes.

The unpopular proposals were modified by Social Services Minister Christian Porter in December after they were rejected by the Senate crossbench. Under the new version, the weeks of paid leave from the employer are deducted from the government's 18-week scheme.