Are dads missing out?

A policy to help men take parental leave is failing because new fathers cannot afford to take time off with their children, campaigners have warned.

The two-year-old policy allows parents to share 52 weeks of parental leave between them, on top of a maximum of 39 weeks of statutory shared parental pay. The scheme cannot be taken in conjunction with statutory paid maternity leave and is less financially generous.

The research found that 25 per cent of fathers are unaware of the provision and that many cannot afford to take the time off work even with the policy because of a lack of financial support.

The survey of 300 dads by the Working Families charity found that a third could not afford to take shared parental leave (SPL). Fifty-two per cent of those asked said they would like to spend more time with their offspring and sharing caring duties with their partner.

Unite national officer for equalities, Siobhan Endean, said the survey demonstrated that many new fathers were missing out on spending time with their children.  Endean said, “Dads should have the chance to take time off with their children after they’re born. Despite attempts to make this happen, many new fathers simply can’t afford to.
Statutory paternity pay

“If the government truly wants to see progress in this area they can start by increasing statutory paternity pay and making parental leave more flexible. New dads should have a right to paternity leave that is not linked to their partners’.”
SPL was introduced on April 2015 in order to provide dads with the opportunity to spend more time with their children – without SPL fathers can only take a maximum of two weeks statutory paid paternity leave.

Despite the attempt to provide dads with an opportunity to play a bigger role in raising their babies, research shows the government’s initial estimate that between 2 and 8 per cent of eligible fathers would take up SPL was too high, with just 1 percent having taken up the offer so far.

Working Families chief executive, Sarah Jackson, said, “Families are unlikely to make use of SPL unless it makes financial sense for them to do so.

“The government should consider equalising statutory maternity pay and shared parental pay to prevent SPL being a second-class option and encourage more fathers to use it. Employers going beyond the minimum pay for SPL would also make it a more realistic option for more families.”

A My Family Care and the Women’s Business Council survey of more than 200 businesses and 1,000 parents found that four in 10 firms have yet to have a single father go on SPL.

Inquiry

The survey’s finding were echoed in testimony heard during a women and equalities select committee inquiry into SPL.

One dad, whose wife had taken a night job in a supermarket after giving up a better paid position to raise their children, told the committee, “Shared parental leave appeared pointless to us – and probably most relationships – post birth because I’m the breadwinner and it makes no financial sense as we struggle financially already, hence the predicted 2-8 per cent take-up.

“It sounded fantastic until you read the small print. Men should be allowed a longer period of full-paid leave, like women can be entitled to.”

Women and equalities select committee chair, Maria Miller, said SPL was “welcome” but noted that progress still needed to be made.

She said, “As the written evidence to our inquiry shows, fathers are questioning whether it works for them in practice and that is a concern. Whether it be the financial implications of taking up SPL or the attitudes and culture of employers, this policy may not be having the intended effect.”

A spokesman for the department for business, energy and industrial strategy said SPL “is still in its infancy and we will evaluate its impact in 2018”.