Hardly any dads have used shared parental leave since scheme was introduced 10 years ago, research finds

Meanwhile, Dennis urged firms to monitor uptake and make increasing it part of the gender action plans, as announced in the employment rights bill.

The bill, announced in October, requires employers to develop and publish an equality action plan showing the steps they are taking in relation to their employees regarding gender equality.

“Until men and fathers are recognised as having equal responsibility for parenting, the onus will always be on women to care and accept lower-paid part-time roles with fewer opportunities for career progression – a leading factor in the gender pay gap,” she explained

The stats showed 86 per cent of all parents felt dads needed better opportunities to be childcarers today.

Jasmine Kelland, associate professor in HRM at the University of Plymouth, highlighted the barriers fathers faced trying to access leave that “aren’t widely discussed” and had been “perpetuated for years despite so much societal change”. 

“Much of UK society still associates fatherhood with breadwinning behaviours, and when fathers access workplace ... See more