The BBCA decade after the introduction of a landmark scheme aimed at helping new parents share in childcare, campaigners say shared parental leave is failing working families. which was designed to help.
As the sole breadwinner in his young family, 21-year-old Josh Wiberg couldn’t take shared parental leave when his twin girls were born.
Like many fathers, he was only entitled to two weeks off at low pay.
He says he “felt like a stranger” to his twin girls, Autumn and Winter, in the first few weeks of fatherhood.
“It was terrifying,” he says. “My partner was struggling and so was I. It wasn’t enough time.”
Introduced 10 years ago by the previous Conservative government, shared parental leave is a state-funded scheme that allows parents to take up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. is
It was hoped that this would allow fathers to play a more prominent role in fatherhood.
But new analysis, seen exclusively by BBC News, shows it may not benefit all fathers equally.
There has been a sharp increase towards higher earners, mainly based in London and south-east England.
Figures from a Freedom of Information request, submitted by campaign group The Dead Shift, show that the top 20% of earners account for 60% of those who use shared parental leave.
Only 5% of those taking shared parental leave came from 50% of earners.
And since its introduction in 2014, the government has paid out £40m in combined parental leave payments to families in London – almost 10 times more than in the North East of England.
“In terms of working families, it’s completely failed,” says George Gabriel, co-founder of the campaign group.
“There’s a big awareness gap, a complication issue and a challenge that most men feel uncomfortable taking time off from their child’s mother.”
Less than 5% of all eligible fathers use shared parental leave.
People who have used this scheme are positive about its benefits.
Pat Target, from London, took nine weeks off to care for her son Jay when the little boy was nine months old.
“It was everything I hoped for,” says Pete, 36.
“We’re a lot closer than we could be otherwise.”
But he admits it was a “difficult financial decision”.
Because her share of shared parental leave was outside the 37-week window for government support, she was not paid for the time she was away with her son.
He says “something needs to be done better” to make sure more dads can take advantage.
“I feel very fortunate that we were able to afford the financial loss, [but] It should be practically possible for most men to do this.
“We need men to feel they can take it.”
Government review from 2023 suggests that almost half (45%) of all fathers were not even aware of the option.
As his wife was not working, Josh was not entitled to shared parental leave and instead Statutory paternity leavea government-funded scheme that allows fathers or secondary care providers to take two weeks’ leave after the birth of their child.
Eligible people receive £184.03 per week or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower.
This meant that Josh’s earnings dropped soon after the twins were born.
“I had to go back to work [after two weeks] And leave my partner alone,” he says.
“I don’t know how we got through it.”
The government has pledged to review parental leave. During his first year in office.
She says she wants statutory paternity leave to be a one-day right for all employees. Currently, this applies to fathers who have been employed for 26 weeks or more.
But despite these proposed changes, campaigners say the UK’s parental leave system remains one of the worst in Europe.
Father-of-two Blair McDougall is one of a number of Labor MPs backing The Dead Shift’s campaign for more generous parental leave.
While he says the government is “right to keep an eye on economic reality”, he is in talks with a group of fellow backbench Labor MPs to discuss whether the future Changes in may go beyond the changes already described.
“Society has moved on but the laws around parenthood haven’t,” he says.
“We need to bring them up to date to help fathers become the fathers most of us want to be.”
Some businesses pay out of pocket to offer better paternity leave and shared parental leave packages.
This may include more time off and pay that increases at a higher rate than full earnings or the statutory offer.
But The Dead Shift says taxpayers should fund “more substantial” parental leave packages, to take the burden off businesses and ensure every parent can benefit.
Paul Bowen, who employs around 30 people at his pie factory and shop in Chorley, Lancashire, says Increase in National Insurance Contribution The budget is the latest in a long line of squeezes for small businesses like his.
“I would love to give my employees extra time, but we can’t afford it,” he says.
“If we can get help from the government, that’s where it needs to come from.”
‘I understand the struggles of other fathers’
Josh is now heavily involved in raising his twin girls but still remembers how “difficult” those first few weeks were.
“The situation needs to be completely changed,” he says.
As he struggled through the early days of fatherhood, he approached North East Young Dads and Leaders (NEYDL) for help.
He now works as a “peer enabler” for the charity, offering the same advice and support he benefited from.
“I understand the struggles of other dads,” he says.
“I know it’s stressful, so if I can help just one person, it’s worth it.”
Additional reporting from George Walker.