diff --git a/lib/rake/packagetask.rb b/lib/rake/packagetask.rb
index 72fef4d5e..aeff81c29 100644
--- a/lib/rake/packagetask.rb
+++ b/lib/rake/packagetask.rb
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ class PackageTask < TaskLib
     # Zip command for zipped archives.  The default is 'zip'.
     attr_accessor :zip_command
 
+    # True if parent directory should be omited (default is false)
+    attr_accessor :without_parent_dir
+
     # Create a Package Task with the given name and version.  Use +:noversion+
     # as the version to build a package without a version or to provide a
     # fully-versioned package name.
@@ -102,6 +105,7 @@ def init(name, version)
       @need_zip = false
       @tar_command = "tar"
       @zip_command = "zip"
+      @without_parent_dir = false
     end
 
     # Create the tasks defined by this task library.
@@ -132,7 +136,8 @@ def define
           task package: ["#{package_dir}/#{file}"]
           file "#{package_dir}/#{file}" =>
             [package_dir_path] + package_files do
-            chdir(package_dir) { sh @tar_command, "#{flag}cvf", file, package_name }
+            chdir(working_dir) { sh @tar_command, "#{flag}cvf", file, target_dir }
+            mv "#{package_dir_path}/#{target_dir}", package_dir if without_parent_dir
           end
         end
       end
@@ -141,7 +146,8 @@ def define
         task package: ["#{package_dir}/#{zip_file}"]
         file "#{package_dir}/#{zip_file}" =>
           [package_dir_path] + package_files do
-          chdir(package_dir) { sh @zip_command, "-r", zip_file, package_name }
+          chdir(working_dir) { sh @zip_command, "-r", zip_file, target_dir }
+          mv "#{package_dir_path}/#{zip_file}", package_dir if without_parent_dir
         end
       end
 
@@ -202,6 +208,15 @@ def tar_xz_file
     def zip_file
       "#{package_name}.zip"
     end
+
+    def working_dir
+      without_parent_dir ? package_dir_path : package_dir
+    end
+
+    # target directory relative to working_dir
+    def target_dir
+      without_parent_dir ? "." : package_name
+    end
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/test/test_rake_package_task.rb b/test/test_rake_package_task.rb
index d3886f8ca..25a1baa95 100644
--- a/test/test_rake_package_task.rb
+++ b/test/test_rake_package_task.rb
@@ -78,4 +78,16 @@ def test_package_name_noversion
     assert_equal "a", pkg.package_name
   end
 
+  def test_without_parent_dir
+    pkg = Rake::PackageTask.new("foo", :noversion)
+
+    assert_equal "pkg", pkg.working_dir
+    assert_equal "foo", pkg.target_dir
+
+    pkg.without_parent_dir = true
+
+    assert_equal "pkg/foo", pkg.working_dir
+    assert_equal ".", pkg.target_dir
+  end
+
 end