Latest figures show that the UK’s gender pay gap is now 14.9% – which is higher than the EU average (12.7%).
The UK’s parenting leave system is one
of the most gender-unequal in the developed world. Its structure – followed by
the vast majority of employers across the country – places responsibility for
looking after babies, for the entire first year of their lives, firmly in the
hands of mothers.
Statutory paternity leave and pay in the UK is among the lowest in Europe. The pay rate is lower than the minimum wage, and represents about a quarter of the median pay for a full-time working man (£652 per week).
The Fatherhood Institute is conducting the most comprehensive review ever undertaken in Britain, of decades of research into the roles of fathers in families.
When Baz Price (pictured above) and his wife Laura decided that he should take shared parental leave to look after their baby when she arrived, they discovered that his employer, Powys County Council, only enhanced SPL to the level of statutory maternity pay (currently £151.97 or 90% of average weekly earnings – whichever is lower).
Time with Dad is our new project that aims to support fathers to take the time they need to help their children’s learning and development.