Latest news with #DadShift
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Dad strike' as UK's paternity leave worst in Europe
As traditional gender roles around parenting shift, the UK's outdated parental leave system is falling behind. British fathers get the worst deal in Europe, with just two weeks off at pay that amounts to less than half the minimum wage. In a bid to demand change, fathers in the UK will host the world's first-ever 'dad strike' in June. Organised by the campaign group the Dad Shift, fathers and non-birthing parents across the UK will request time off from work to protest outside government buildings in London and Edinburgh, calling for stronger and fairer parental leave policies. Offering adequate paternity leave isn't just a nice-to-have. Enabling fathers and partners to spend time with their children in the first year of life has been shown to improve the mental and physical health of mothers, narrow the gender gap and improve educational outcomes for children. Paid leave also helps parents share the responsibilities of childcare more equally, leading to lasting benefits for mothers' careers, health and overall wellbeing. Despite this, new fathers in the UK are entitled to only two weeks' paternity leave at £187.18 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings– whichever is lower. This is less than half of the national living wage for a standard 35-hour working week. Read more: How inadequate maternity leave harms mothers' wellbeing Comparatively, Norway gives fathers 15 weeks of parental leave, paid at more than 90% of the average salary, while parents in Sweden are given 480 days of paid parental leave between them at up to 80% of their salary. In Lithuania, fathers are entitled to 30 days of paid paternity leave, paid at 77.58% of their salary. So why is paternity leave so poor in Britain – and what will it take for the UK to catch up with the rest of Europe? "This isn't about our values as a country – this is a problem of political inaction,' says Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of the Dad Shift. 'Ninety per cent of fathers agree that 'dads today want to be a bigger part of their kids' lives,' and 82% of people believe it's better when both parents have equal opportunities to be involved in childcare. Our ideas about parenting have evolved like their countries, but our policies haven't.' In April, it emerged that the promised 'day one' right to paternity leave would not include the right to statutory pay under Labour's flagship employment rights bill. So for dads to be eligible for paternity pay, they will still need to have worked for the same employer for at least six months up to the 'qualifying week' – 15 weeks before the baby is due. Self-employed fathers are locked out of any kind of financial support entirely. Harriet Morton-Liddle, co-founder of Nugget Savings, a platform that campaigns for parental leave transparency, says Britain's approach to paternity leave reflects a legacy of outdated assumptions about who should care for children. 'Statutory paternity leave wasn't introduced until 2003 and in the 20 years since there have been no meaningful changes beyond minor tweaks to flexibility,' she says. 'Even the language on the government website reveals how fathers are still viewed. It states that you may be eligible for leave 'because your partner's having a baby' not 'because you're becoming a parent'. That one line captures the problem that fathers are seen as supporting actors, not equal parents.' So far, broad policy efforts to increase paternal leave uptake, like shared parental leave introduced in 2015, have largely fallen short. When economists at the University of Bath and Cardiff University examined data from 40,000 households across the UK last year, they found shared leave hasn't affected the number of fathers taking leave, nor has it allowed fathers to take longer leave. International evidence shows that if we want fathers to take on more caregiving responsibilities, they need their own dedicated leave – paid at a level that makes it financially feasible. In 2022, Finland overhauled its parental leave system, giving each parent an equal share: 160 days of paid leave to be used before the child's second birthday. Since then, the number of fathers taking paternity leave has nearly doubled. Offering similar in the UK could reform how we take – and think about – parental leave, bringing benefits for all parents, children and even employers. Regardless of what couples want, the current system means mothers are forced to become primary caregivers by default. 'One parent told us, 'we woke up one day and found ourselves in the 1950s',' says Hunter. 'This in turn means many women lose out in their careers or face discrimination at work, with the 'motherhood penalty' now accounting for up to 75% of the gender pay gap.' Currently, fathers aren't given a fair opportunity to bond with their children during their early years. Instead, they're forced to make an impossible choice between keeping their family afloat financially or being present for them. 'Fathers miss out on precious time bonding with their babies and supporting their partners' recovery from childbirth,' says Dr Jeremy Davies, deputy CEO & head of impact and communications at the Fatherhood Institute. 'Children, mothers and fathers themselves also lose out from lost opportunities for fathers to become skilled and equal caregivers throughout the baby's first year – which is when ongoing caring patterns are set, and father-child relationships built,' he adds. 'This has implications for children's emotional and learning outcomes in the longer term.' And arguments that adequate paternity leave harms employers simply don't stand up. A 2023 qualitative study suggests offering fathers their own protected, paid leave would benefit their mental health, which in turn would likely boost morale, job satisfaction and retention. Read more: This is why more employers are introducing their own enhanced paternity leave policies, says Hunter. 'It's good business – the idea that someone can return to work after just two weeks, sleep-deprived and with their life completely turned upside down, and be 100% productive is a complete fantasy,' he explains. 'What happens instead is that fathers struggle in silence, and their mental health often suffers dramatically.' Read more: How to speak to your boss about a women's health issue But, with only larger companies financially able to offer enhanced parental leave policies, a two-tier system is emerging. Employees at big firms may benefit from better-paid leave, while those working for smaller employers, or who are self-employed, are left with limited or no support. 'That's why government action is essential to ensure every father gets decent leave, not just those lucky enough to work for progressive employers,' says Hunter. Whether the structural changes needed to fix the problem are put in place remains to be seen. But right now, paternity leave is treated as an optional extra – not a basic right. 'It is completely out of step with how families live and work today,' says Lucy Kemp, Future of Work and employee experience expert. 'When men are not supported to take time off, it reinforces the idea that childcare is a women's issue. That makes it harder for mothers to return and thrive at work. The best employers are the ones who treat parental leave as a core part of their culture, not a tick-box exercise.' Read more: Five questions you shouldn't be asked in a job interview How to manage 'time blindness' at work if you have ADHD Can body doubling make us more productive at work?Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Dad strike' as UK's paternity leave worst in Europe
As traditional gender roles around parenting shift, the UK's outdated parental leave system is falling behind. British fathers get the worst deal in Europe, with just two weeks off at pay that amounts to less than half the minimum wage. In a bid to demand change, fathers in the UK will host the world's first-ever 'dad strike' in June. Organised by the campaign group the Dad Shift, fathers and non-birthing parents across the UK will request time off from work to protest outside government buildings in London and Edinburgh, calling for stronger and fairer parental leave policies. Offering adequate paternity leave isn't just a nice-to-have. Enabling fathers and partners to spend time with their children in the first year of life has been shown to improve the mental and physical health of mothers, narrow the gender gap and improve educational outcomes for children. Paid leave also helps parents share the responsibilities of childcare more equally, leading to lasting benefits for mothers' careers, health and overall wellbeing. Despite this, new fathers in the UK are entitled to only two weeks' paternity leave at £187.18 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings– whichever is lower. This is less than half of the national living wage for a standard 35-hour working week. Read more: How inadequate maternity leave harms mothers' wellbeing Comparatively, Norway gives fathers 15 weeks of parental leave, paid at more than 90% of the average salary, while parents in Sweden are given 480 days of paid parental leave between them at up to 80% of their salary. In Lithuania, fathers are entitled to 30 days of paid paternity leave, paid at 77.58% of their salary. So why is paternity leave so poor in Britain – and what will it take for the UK to catch up with the rest of Europe? "This isn't about our values as a country – this is a problem of political inaction,' says Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of the Dad Shift. 'Ninety per cent of fathers agree that 'dads today want to be a bigger part of their kids' lives,' and 82% of people believe it's better when both parents have equal opportunities to be involved in childcare. Our ideas about parenting have evolved like their countries, but our policies haven't.' In April, it emerged that the promised 'day one' right to paternity leave would not include the right to statutory pay under Labour's flagship employment rights bill. So for dads to be eligible for paternity pay, they will still need to have worked for the same employer for at least six months up to the 'qualifying week' – 15 weeks before the baby is due. Self-employed fathers are locked out of any kind of financial support entirely. Harriet Morton-Liddle, co-founder of Nugget Savings, a platform that campaigns for parental leave transparency, says Britain's approach to paternity leave reflects a legacy of outdated assumptions about who should care for children. 'Statutory paternity leave wasn't introduced until 2003 and in the 20 years since there have been no meaningful changes beyond minor tweaks to flexibility,' she says. 'Even the language on the government website reveals how fathers are still viewed. It states that you may be eligible for leave 'because your partner's having a baby' not 'because you're becoming a parent'. That one line captures the problem that fathers are seen as supporting actors, not equal parents.' So far, broad policy efforts to increase paternal leave uptake, like shared parental leave introduced in 2015, have largely fallen short. When economists at the University of Bath and Cardiff University examined data from 40,000 households across the UK last year, they found shared leave hasn't affected the number of fathers taking leave, nor has it allowed fathers to take longer leave. International evidence shows that if we want fathers to take on more caregiving responsibilities, they need their own dedicated leave – paid at a level that makes it financially feasible. In 2022, Finland overhauled its parental leave system, giving each parent an equal share: 160 days of paid leave to be used before the child's second birthday. Since then, the number of fathers taking paternity leave has nearly doubled. Offering similar in the UK could reform how we take – and think about – parental leave, bringing benefits for all parents, children and even employers. Regardless of what couples want, the current system means mothers are forced to become primary caregivers by default. 'One parent told us, 'we woke up one day and found ourselves in the 1950s',' says Hunter. 'This in turn means many women lose out in their careers or face discrimination at work, with the 'motherhood penalty' now accounting for up to 75% of the gender pay gap.' Currently, fathers aren't given a fair opportunity to bond with their children during their early years. Instead, they're forced to make an impossible choice between keeping their family afloat financially or being present for them. 'Fathers miss out on precious time bonding with their babies and supporting their partners' recovery from childbirth,' says Dr Jeremy Davies, deputy CEO & head of impact and communications at the Fatherhood Institute. 'Children, mothers and fathers themselves also lose out from lost opportunities for fathers to become skilled and equal caregivers throughout the baby's first year – which is when ongoing caring patterns are set, and father-child relationships built,' he adds. 'This has implications for children's emotional and learning outcomes in the longer term.' And arguments that adequate paternity leave harms employers simply don't stand up. A 2023 qualitative study suggests offering fathers their own protected, paid leave would benefit their mental health, which in turn would likely boost morale, job satisfaction and retention. Read more: This is why more employers are introducing their own enhanced paternity leave policies, says Hunter. 'It's good business – the idea that someone can return to work after just two weeks, sleep-deprived and with their life completely turned upside down, and be 100% productive is a complete fantasy,' he explains. 'What happens instead is that fathers struggle in silence, and their mental health often suffers dramatically.' Read more: How to speak to your boss about a women's health issue But, with only larger companies financially able to offer enhanced parental leave policies, a two-tier system is emerging. Employees at big firms may benefit from better-paid leave, while those working for smaller employers, or who are self-employed, are left with limited or no support. 'That's why government action is essential to ensure every father gets decent leave, not just those lucky enough to work for progressive employers,' says Hunter. Whether the structural changes needed to fix the problem are put in place remains to be seen. But right now, paternity leave is treated as an optional extra – not a basic right. 'It is completely out of step with how families live and work today,' says Lucy Kemp, Future of Work and employee experience expert. 'When men are not supported to take time off, it reinforces the idea that childcare is a women's issue. That makes it harder for mothers to return and thrive at work. The best employers are the ones who treat parental leave as a core part of their culture, not a tick-box exercise.' Read more: Five questions you shouldn't be asked in a job interview How to manage 'time blindness' at work if you have ADHD Can body doubling make us more productive at work?
Metro
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Six companies in the UK that give dads 52 weeks paid paternity leave
Fathers are being urged to take part in the world's first 'dad strike' to protest the UK statutory paternity leave. It'll take place on June 11, and dads will hold their babies outside the Department for Business and Trade in London. The campaign is being organised by the Dad Shift, who argue that women will continue to face maternity leave discrimination if dads aren't afforded decent paternity leave offerings. It comes after Labour's employment rights bill, which promised a 'day one' right to paternity leave, failed to include the right to statutory pay. While mums can claim statutory maternity pay at 90% of their salary for six weeks, then £187.18 for the next 33 weeks, dads typically get just two paid weeks off work. Statutory paternity pay is set at £187.18 per week or 90% of men's average weekly earnings (whichever is the lower amount) for two weeks, making it one of the least generous entitlements in Europe. Same sex couples face the same low payments (for example, a birth-mother will be entitled to maternity pay while her partner – regardless of gender – can claim statutory paternity pay for a fortnight). Some companies do boost paid leave for their employees, but the latest Working Families Benchmark report found UK companies gave just five weeks of paid paternity leave on average in 2024. The result? Dads and partners are forced back to work early, missing out on valuable bonding time with their babies. Meanwhile mums are thrown in at the deep end caring for a newborn solo, often having barely recovered from childbirth themselves. It's why Pregnant Then Screwed has launched Let's Talk About Six, a campaign calling for fathers and same sex parents to have at least six weeks of paid paternity leave in the UK. There are a few companies who are ahead of the game though, giving new dads an entire year of paternity leave. So, if you're someone who wants to start a family or add to your brood, you might want to see if these businesses have any vacancies going. In 2019, Bain & Company, which is a global consultancy firm, decided to offer equal parental leave for all its employees in the UK. Honestly, we love to see it. This means that new parents, regardless of gender or how they became parents, are eligible for 52 weeks of leave. Essentially, whether you've given birth or your partner has, you've adopted or welcomed your little one via surrogacy, you're still eligible. Here, the first 29 weeks of that leave are fully paid, with it dropping after seven months (though still paid). In 2020, alcohol producer Diageo also introduced 52 weeks paternity leave for all parents. The first 26 weeks of this paternity leave are fully paid with it dropping after six months. If you've worked for Mars UK for more than a year you can also get your hands on 52 weeks of pat leave. You may have been stuffing your face with chocolate, but you can cash in on another sweet offering too. While the deal isn't quite as generous as its competitors, you still get 26 weeks paid at 90% of your yearly salary before it decreases further. When it comes to insurance, it's not just something you want in case of an accident, you want it when bringing a baby into the world, too. Knowing you won't need to return to work before you're ready shouldn't be a luxury, but here we are. And Aviva allows you to take 52 weeks of paternity leave, with 26 weeks at full pay. This is the case even if you and your partner both work there – no need to share the time off. Manifest is a marketing company and it's also got a pretty decent deal on the table for new dads. More Trending Fathers will get 52 weeks off – all at 90% pay, so you don't need to worry about your funds getting smaller and smaller. We're manifesting this for our future selves too. Shared Parental Leave (SPL) was introduced 10 years ago with the aim of giving dads an equal opportunity to engage in parenthood – but campaign groups say it hasn't helped. The scheme allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay after the birth (effectively allowing the mother to transfer her maternity leave to the father after the first two weeks). Just 2% of couples take this up though, with Maternity Action calling for the 'failing' scheme to be scrapped. 'It's poorly paid, complex, and many working parents aren't even eligible,' the charity said. Another insurance company on the list also gives new dads a full year off. If you work here, you'll be entitled to 16 weeks at full pay, a little bit stingier than its competitors but much better than the UK average. Pay the drops to 90% pay for the remainder of your time off. abrdn: 40 weeks Finimize: 38 weeks Accenture: 30 weeks Edrington: 30 weeks Deloitte: 26 weeks Oliver Wyman: 26 weeks Starbucks EMEA Ltd: 26 weeks University of the Arts London: 26 weeks FSCS: 26 weeks LGT Wealth Management: 26 weeks Baring: 26 weeks Phoenix Group: 26 weeks S&P Global: 26 weeks Fidelity International: 26 weeks Goldman Sachs: 26 weeks M and G: 26 weeks London Stock Exchange Group: 26 weeks MOD: 26 weeks Ferring Pharmaceuticals: 26 weeks Norvartis: 26 weeks Ashurst: 26 weeks Havas helia: 26 weeks Childrens Investment Fund Foundation: 26 weeks British Land: 26 weeks Knight Frank: 26 weeks JLL: 24 weeks 22 weeks Standard Chartered: 20 weeks UBS: 20 weeks Hodge: 20 weeks Financial Times: 20 weeks Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: I've spent 16 months being rejected from jobs I'm over-qualified for MORE: 'I was flying high in the corporate world – then I turned fifty' MORE: David Tennant and wife Georgia perfectly exemplify how to parent a nonbinary child
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
British men urged to join ‘Dad strike' calling for more paternity leave
British fathers are being urged to join the world's first 'Dad strike' to protest about the UK's statutory paternity leave, which campaigners say is the least generous in Europe. Fathers are planning to protest with their babies outside the Department for Business and Trade in London on 11 June in an effort to force the government to improve leave for dads and non-birthing partners. The strike, organised by campaign group the Dad Shift, is being hailed as a 'revolutionary' moment in the UK's gender equality movement, with organisers arguing that women will continue to face maternity discrimination if low take-up of paternity and parental leave continues. Ministers were accused of 'betraying' new fathers this week after it emerged that a promised 'day one' right to paternity leave would not include the right to statutory pay under Labour's flagship employment rights bill. George Gabriel, from the Dad Shift, said low paternity leave pay meant many fathers could not afford to take any time off after the birth of their children. Research by the group shows that the average British father spends 43% fewer waking hours with their child in the first year of life – 1,403 hours compared with 3,293 for the average mother. 'The UK's rubbish paternity leave system means from the day our kids arrive most fathers are forced to make an impossible choice – between going out to work and provide for our families, and providing them with the one thing that matters most, our presence,' said Gabriel. Eligible UK fathers and non-birthing parents currently get two weeks on less than half the minimum wage, with self-employed co-parents not qualifying for state support. Eligible mothers on maternity leave receive 90% of their average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then £187.18 for 33 weeks. Society and companies were far ahead of the government, said Gabriel. According to new polling by Whitestone for the Dad Shift, most children under 11 are picked up from school or nursery every day by their mothers, even though 86% of respondents agree 'it's better when both parents have opportunities to be equally active caregivers'. Companies are increasingly offering partners better parental leave, with the BBC offering 52 weeks on a pay structure, while Aviva's co-parents get 52 weeks with the first 26 weeks at full pay, according to a Paternity League Table released this week by the childcare provider Koru Kids. Barclays, HSBC, KPMG, and BDO LLP offer only two weeks on full pay. Marvyn Harrison, a self-employed father of two and a founder of the podcast Dope Black Dads, said the strike would play a key role in showing fathers who wanted to spend more time with their kids that they were not on their own. 'The most important thing we have to do is awaken men to the problem,' he said. 'Fighting for paternity leave and paternity pay is a [way] for us to start to interrupt how we over commit in the workplace and don't commit enough in our families.' UK paternity leave, at £187.18 a week, is the least-generous statutory offer in Europe, with the UK ranked 40th out of 43 countries in the OECD. It accounts for 1.9% of all government spending on parental leave, with the rest spent on maternity leave. According to the Fatherhood Institute, which is campaigning for six weeks' well-paid leave in the baby's first year, this leaves an average-earning, full-time working father more than £1,000 worse off. Take-up is also low compared with other countries. For every 100 babies born, only 31.6 men receive statutory paternity pay, compared with an average of 57 men in the 18 OECD with available data, according to evidence the group provided to the women and equalities select committee. Companies are being urged to give fathers the afternoon off work to strike, with the communications agency The Romans and On The Tools, a platform for plumbers, electricians and other trades, pledging their support. 'So many dads in our industry feel they're missing out on crucial time with their children,' said Lee Wilcox, the chief executive of On the Tools Pete Target, who works in local government, said he was going to strike because he remembered how he felt when, after two weeks with his newborn baby, he suddenly found himself thrust back into work. 'Being apart from my baby felt awful,' he said. 'I was busy bonding with him and it was a massive wrench.' He hopes the strike will start a dads' revolution, and force the government to listen. 'No more gritting teeth and just kind of pushing through,' he said. 'It's time to be more open about the struggles dads face and to show up and say, 'This is what we need. We have needs too'.'
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- The Guardian
Police officers ‘mocked and ostracised' for paternity leave in England and Wales
Police officers have described being ostracised for taking paternity leave, as it is revealed that back-office staff in the Metropolitan police are entitled to nearly three times as much paternity pay as frontline fathers. A freedom of information request has revealed that most serving police officers in England and Wales only take one week of paternity leave, with some describing being on 'blue lights' duty and carrying Tasers a week after the birth of their babies. Among the 44 forces that replied to an FoI by the paternity rights campaign group the Dad Shift, 75% provided one week paternity leave at full pay, with a second week on statutory pay. Forces were asked for their paternity leave policy, how many officers had taken paternity leave over the last three years, and how many weeks they took. Thirty-five forces provided data on paternity leave take-up. In the 30 forces providing only one week full pay, 60% of officers returned to work after seven days. In the five forces that provided data and offered two weeks' fully paid leave, only 12% of officers went back to work after a week. More than 50 testimonies from officers and their families raised concerns about the treatment of fathers, with officers describing a culture where involved fathers were 'mocked', 'slagged off' or 'ostracised'. One former officer, who said the strain of his family was one of the biggest reasons he left the force, said he was 'treated very poorly' and 'slagged off behind his back' for taking two weeks' unpaid leave to care for his partner after an emergency caesarean. 'Overall the police service doesn't support fathers fairly at all,' he said. '[The] culture makes men feel like they need to be back at work asap. If you're not, you're looked down on or treated differently.' In another example, a firearms officer was not allowed to adjust the dates of his paternity leave when his baby arrived three weeks early, meaning that on the day his wife and baby came out of hospital he did a night shift carrying a firearm. The Met police, the largest force in England and Wales, offers civilian staff – in roles such as administration or 999 call handling – three weeks of paternity leave at full pay. However, frontline officers get one fully paid week, with the second paid at the statutory rate of £184.03 a week, a quarter of the starting salary for a Met officer. Asked why this disparity existed, a spokesperson from the Met said the Home Office set the police pay regulations for every force and it was not something individual forces could change, unlike for civilian staff. The Met said in a statement: 'Officers and staff have different terms and conditions, set separately. For officers, these are governed nationally via police regulations and for staff, set by the Met. Fair terms and conditions are important to everyone.' Paternity leave for police officers is governed by police regulations, set by the Home Office, a spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs' Council said. Forces have to offer one week at full pay and one week at statutory pay for qualifying officers. However, at least nine forces across England and Wales now offer a second week of paternity leave on full pay. British Transport Police and the Civil Nuclear constabulary give officers three weeks' leave on full pay, while Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands give two weeks' full pay. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester police said the increase in paternity pay, made last year, reflected 'the changing nature of modern families'. They added: 'It's important to us that we do our utmost to support our officers and staff as they enter their journey into parenthood.' A survey from the Police Federation found that more than one in five officers were ready to quit the service in 2023 – up from 18% in 2022 and 12% in 2021. Of 2,654 officers who left the police between 2017 and 2024, 27% resigned before they reached pension age, with 63% saying the impact on their family life was a critical factor. Alex Lloyd Hunter, a cofounder of the Dad Shift, urged Yvette Cooper to improve paternity pay for officers and speak to the Met commissioner to tackle its 'grossly unfair policy'. 'The home secretary has done a lot to ensure the police are doing better to protect women and girls,' he said. 'Supporting dads in the force properly, so they can be involved caregivers, is part of that same equality agenda.' A Home Office spokesperson said police bodies made recommendations on pay, and that the government recognised that support for officers was 'vital, as a healthy and engaged police workforce will be better able to tackle crime and protect the public'.
