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

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

The study findings are timely given the new Labour Government’s Manifesto commitment to reviewing the parental leave system within its first year in office. The previous Government’s own evaluation of SPL published last year, found that only 1% of eligible mothers and 5% of eligible fathers took it.

8 days

The increase in leave days taken by fathers after the introduction of paternity leave in Spain

2024 Study: Shared Parental Leave: Did it work?

A Swedish government study showed that for every month of parental leave taken by the father, the mother’s future annual salary can increase by almost 7%.

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift says: "There's a big awareness gap, there's a complexity problem and there's a challenge about most men feeling uncomfortable taking leave off the mother of their child."