The UK’s parental leave system is broken. This was the claim this week by a group of MPs, as the Women and Equalities Commission (WEC) published a report calling on government ministers to commit to meaningful reform of the system, particularly around paternity leave and pay. According to the report, the UK’s statutory provision is entrenched in outdated gender stereotypes.
With paternity leave remaining unchanged since its introduction in 2003, the UK is now recognised to have one of the worst entitlements in Europe. A lot has happened in the intervening years, with the widespread change in working practices post-Covid often resulting in better work-life balance and more equal parental roles for both sexes. So, why hasn’t statutory paternity leave kept pace with such change?
Simply looking at many other nations shows just how far the UK is lagging behind. For example, in Spain, fathers and non-birthing partners are entitled to 16 weeks’ paternity leave on full pay, the first six weeks of which are mandatory.
To further highlight the situation, on Wednesday 11 June hundreds of fathers joined protests in London and Edinburgh organised by campaign Dad Shift in order to demand better paternity leave.
Following the birth of each of my children, we were fortunate that my husband was able to use annual leave to extend his paternity leave. Personally speaking, I found his presence and support invaluable in adjusting to life as a parent and subsequently juggling the needs of a newborn with a toddler. From his perspective, being able to spend this time with our newborns undoubtedly helped to create a close bond with each.
But why should it be the case that families such as ours who are able to add paid holiday on to paternity leave are in a position to consider themselves the lucky ones? Becoming parents is such a life-changing event, shouldn’t time for fathers and non-birthing partners to bond with their newborn and support their partners be a given rather than a privilege?
Numerous pieces of research have proven the advantages of offering longer periods of paid paternity leave. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report Improving statutory paternity leave would benefit families and the economy, published in April 2025, for example, highlighted that more generous provision would have economic benefits. In particular, it would enable more women to work, thus helping to close the gender pay gap and widen the talent pool available to employers.
Extending paid paternity leave would also help to create a more egalitarian approach to parenting and domestic duties, which can have fundamental benefits for families.
While many employers have recognised such benefits and offer enhanced paternity leave and pay for their employees, the UK government is yet to follow suit. With a review currently underway, the big question is how far is it prepared to go in effecting change and improving the landscape for working parents?
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
@DebbieLovewell
