BBCThe UK’s statutory parental depart system is “one of many worst within the developed world” and has “elementary flaws”, a gaggle of cross-party MPs has stated.
A report printed at present by the Ladies and Equalities Committee stated paternity depart guidelines “entrench outdated gender stereotypes”.
It added that “daring” motion is required, however warned any adjustments would require important funding.
A Division for Enterprise and Commerce spokesperson stated the federal government is finishing up a evaluation to see the way it greatest can assist working households.
Launched in 2003, statutory paternity leave permits most new fathers and second mother and father within the UK to take as much as two weeks off work.
It applies to all companions, no matter gender, after the delivery, surrogacy or adoption of a child.
These eligible obtain £187.18 every week or 90% of their common earnings, whichever is decrease.
This works out as lower than 50% of the Nationwide Residing Wage and fathers are ineligible for statutory paternity depart if they’re self-employed or earn lower than £123 every week.
The report says that is “utterly out of kilter with the price of dwelling” and suggests the federal government ought to contemplate growing paternity pay to 90% or extra and paternity depart to 6 weeks in a phased method.
It recommends each facets ought to be executed throughout this Parliament.
Highlighting how paternity depart has not modified noticeably since its introduction greater than twenty years in the past, the report says: “We now have one of many worst statutory depart affords for fathers and different mother and father within the developed world.”
In Spain, new dads can take 16 weeks off work at full pay.
New guidelines launched in France in 2021 imply working dads can now spend 28 days at house whereas being paid.
Households in Sweden are entitled to 480 days of paid parental depart, with 90 days reserved for fathers.
As a part of Your Voice, Your BBC News we’re masking the tales that matter most to you and several other dads have been in contact about paternity depart.
James Yeates, from Haverhill, Suffolk, says it was “horrible” having to return to work simply two weeks after his son, Luca, was born in September 2024.
Though he says the delivery of his son was “the happiest second of my life”, he quickly felt as if he was leaving his associate “within the lurch”.
“There could be occasions when my associate was struggling and I would have to go away to go to work,” he stated.
“I felt like I used to be letting her down and letting my son down.”
James works for the NHS, who topped up his statutory paternity pay to 100% of his ordinary wage, however feels as if he was prevented from being “a extra current dad or mum”.
The WEC report additionally checked out shared parental depart, which was launched in 2014 and permits mother and father to share as much as 50 weeks of depart and as much as 37 weeks of pay after the delivery or adoption of a kid.
However the evaluation discovered many households thought-about it “unnecessarily complicated” and “burdensome”.
It’s utilized in fewer than 2% of all births and a government review from 2023 suggests nearly half (45%) of all dads weren’t even conscious shared parental depart was an choice.
The report has been launched on the eve of the world’s first dad strike.
Lots of of fathers are anticipated to picket exterior the Division for Enterprise and Commerce in London on Wednesday to name for an overhaul of the UK’s parental depart insurance policies.
New analysis by The Dad Shift and Shaun Davies MP means that simply 3% of cash spent on parental depart within the UK helps fathers and non-birthing mother and father.
Data offered by employers to HMRC exhibits that £3.3bn was spent on statutory maternity pay in 2023/24.
Throughout the identical interval, £69m was spent on paternity pay and £34.4m statutory shared parental pay.
George Gabriel, co-founder of the Dad Shift, stated paternity depart legal guidelines imply dads usually have to return to work earlier than their two-week paternity depart ends.
“The pie is small and the crumbs left for dads and non-birthing mother and father are truthfully fairly pitiful,” he stated.
Kathy Jones, chief government of the Fatherhood Institute, stated she welcomed lots of the findings of the report, however stated “households should not have to attend till the following Parliament for this to come back in”.
The federal government stated its forthcoming evaluation, which is due earlier than mid-July, would take a look at all present parental depart entitlements.
A spokesperson added it’s already within the strategy of guaranteeing dads now not have to be employed for 26 weeks to be entitled to paternity depart.
“This authorities is dedicated to creating certain mother and father obtain the very best assist to steadiness their work and residential lives,” they stated.
Extra reporting from George Walker.
