Call for better parental leave

A new campaign for better paternity leave has written an open letter to the Prime Minister and attached model babies to famous statues of men around London, including footballer Thierry Henry and Hollywood star Gene Kelly.

The Dad Shift‘s open letter says that the UK has the worst statutory paternity offer for new fathers in Europe and that one in three dads take no leave at all while one in two say they struggle financially because of the low rate of statutory pay – less than the minimum wage.

The letter states: “Proper parental leave for fathers and co-parents is good for mothers, good for babies, good for fathers and good for society too, including improved health outcomes for all. Countries with six or more weeks paternity leave also have a gender pay gap that’s 4% smaller and a workforce participation gap that is 3.7% smaller too, meaning change can help grow the economy while helping British families.”

Labour has said it will review parental leave in its first year. The Dad Shift wants parental leave “that is affordable for people to take, gives a substantial allowance of time, and supports equality among parents”.

Equal leave

The letter comes as Deloitte has announced a new policy to equalise paid parenting leave in the UK, offering all parents 26 weeks of fully paid leave. The initiative, effective from 1st January 2025, combines various family leave types, including maternity, paternity and shared parental leave. According to YouGov research commissioned by Deloitte, 87% of employees consider family leave a significant factor when choosing an employer.

Additionally, some 54% of working mothers said that if their partner had more parenting leave, it would help them to progress in their career. An even higher number of working mothers (61%) say that if their partner had more flexibility in their role, it would help them to progress. 57% of working mothers say they have had to reduce working hours because of their co-parent’s workplace inflexibility, more than double the number of working fathers (25%).

The Deloitte-commissioned research also revealed that 50% of working parents find it challenging to access information about paternity and maternity leave during the job-hunting process. And it found that 67% of parents reported increased stress or anxiety levels while balancing work and family responsibilities. Just over a quarter (28%) say they are not encouraged by their employer to take time off for family-related commitments.

Beyond parenting leave, 61% of respondents expressed a desire for more flexible work hours for new fathers, with 46% wanting hybrid working and 42% calling for a more supportive workplace culture.

Additionally, the firm will provide paid time off for fertility treatment, five days’ paid leave for carers and up to 12 weeks of extra leave for parents of children requiring neonatal care.

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