Fathers at work
Lobbying for gender-equitable employment policy and workplaces
Why change is needed
UK employment policy hasn’t caught up with changes over recent decades in how mothers and fathers need and want to share the earning and caregiving – especially when their children are young.
Flexible working is becoming more commonplace but it is still not the norm, especially for men. And the UK’s parenting leave system is the most gendered in the developed world and the statutory paternity offer the worst in Europe – the leave is too short, the pay is too low and too many dads aren’t eligible in the first place.
That’s a problem for dads – most of whom get to spend just two weeks, or even less, with their babies when they’re born.
It’s a problem for mums, who by contrast are expected to take up to a year away from work and are left literally ‘holding the baby’, without their partner being able to take enough time off to ‘skill up’ as an equal caregiver.
It’s a problem for babies, many of whom miss out on the close relationships with their fathers they might otherwise build – and which lead to improved child outcomes.
And it’s a problem for society, which is missing out on increased productivity and reduced gender pay gaps that could result from mums being able to return to work earlier.
What needs to happen
The Labour Government’s Employment Rights Bill promises to widen eligibility to paternity leave by making it a Day 1 right, and to tighten the obligations on employers around flexible working. There’s also a parental leave review coming, which could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform family life by incentivising dads to take substantial caregiving leave in their baby’s first year.
There’s a very real danger that well-paid leave for dads won’t make it onto the table, and it’s our role to make sure it does. We want to make sure the politicians act on the best possible international evidence, are presented with well-designed leave options, and have good quality data about their likely costs and benefits.
We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure we are ‘in the room’ for the key discussions, arguing the case for a model involving substantial well-paid, reserved parental leave for fathers, as set out in our 6 weeks for dads campaign.
Key actions
We’re campaigning for six weeks’ well-paid leave for fathers/partners in their baby’s first year – and are working closely alongside organisations in the same space, including Pregnant Then Screwed, Working Families, Fawcett Society, and the Dad Shift
Our Daddy Leave working paper (2022) set out in more detail what a better parenting leave system might look like - providing a wider context to our 'six weeks for dads' campaign
We are Co-investigators on the ESRC-funded Transition to Parenthood in UK SMEs study, and sit on the judging panel for the Working Dads Employer Awards
In 2023-24 we led the charge on the then-government for its failure to reform the parenting leave system. We organised an open letter, signed by more than 30 partner organisations and gender equality advocates, to the former Business and Trade Secretary. Our 'six weeks for dads' parliamentary petition attracted +14,000 signatures, triggering a Government response
We will be liaising with partner organisations to push for strengthened provisions in the legislation about flexible working, since the current wording of the Employment Rights Bill does not add up to what was promised in the King's Speech (i.e. "flexible working the default from Day 1 for all workers")
How you can help
Commission us to deliver a webinar or training at your workplace
Make a donation to support our ongoing policy work