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.

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.... See more

The study which used data from 40,000 households across the UK, found SPL has not affected the number of fathers taking leave, nor the length of leave they choose to take. The research compared families with children born before and after the SPL rollout and the results are clear – paternal leave uptake has not increased, and the leaves being taken... See more