70% OF DADS WHO DIDN’T TAKE THEIR FULL PATERNITY LEAVE ENTITLEMENT HAD TO CUT IT SHORT DUE TO COST - Pregnant Then Screwed

The research found that fewer than one in five (18%) prospective parents say they or their partner could afford to take six weeks of paternity leave at the current statutory rate of pay. By contrast, 57% of prospective parents said they or their partner could afford to take six weeks of paternity leave if it was paid at 90% of their income, as stat... See more

“First and foremost, the financial terms are not that attractive. The low rate for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) means shared leave often represents a significant reduction in earnings and, for many people, makes it unaffordable. This is exacerbated if the father is the family’s primary earner, or earns considerably more than the mother.”

“Th... See more

As the sole earner in his young family, 21-year-old Josh Wiborg couldn't take shared parental leave when his twin girls were born.

Like so many dads, he was entitled to only two weeks off work, at reduced pay.

He says it left him "feeling like a stranger" to his twin girls, Autumn and Winter, in the first few weeks of fatherhood.

“It was awful," he sa... See more

Shared parental leave - part of a parenting leave system that’s now the worst in Europe for fathers - has officially failed. Many couples aren’t eligible for SPL in the first place; most of those who are can’t afford to use it; fathers can only take the leave if the mother gives up some of hers; and it’s unwieldy for employers to administer. Intern... See more

I would have loved to take more than two weeks off with my kids, but the reality is we just couldn’t afford it. As the main breadwinner, cutting my income down to statutory pay after two weeks would have meant struggling to pay the mortgage. Shared Parental Leave only works if both parents’ employers offer generous pay, which isn’t the case for mos... See more