A new report from The Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP), Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data looks at the economic and health benefits of extending statutory paternity leave and pay in this country.
The UK currently has the least generous paternity leave entitlement in Europe. The statutory entitlement to paternity leave is two weeks and the weekly rate for paternity pay is £172 a week, which is 44 per cent of the national living wage.
‘Leave in the lurch: Paternity leave, gender equality and the UK economy’ includes findings from a new CPP analysis of OECD data, along with a YouGov survey of 2,136 adults on their opinion on paternity leave and the relationship between that and mental health.
Also, a sample from the 20,000 responses to Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation survey, which has been weighted on UK regions, gender and social grade to get a final sample of 3,540 parents.
Paternity leave and the economy
The analysis carried out by the CPP reveals:
- Countries with more than six weeks of paid paternity leave have a 4 percentage point smaller gender wage gap and 3.7 percentage points smaller labour force participation gap than countries that have less than six weeks.
- Closing the gender employment gap in all UK local authorities would increase economic output by £23bn (approximately 1 per cent of GDP).
Take-up of paternity leave
Findings from the survey revealed that for 1 in 5 (20 per cent) dads, no parental leave options were available to them following the birth or adoption of their child.
Of those that were entitled to some leave, but returned to work early, 43 per cent cited financial hardship as the reason for not taking their full entitlement.
More than 60 per cent of dads said they did not feel mentally ready to return to work when they did.
Fewer than 1 in 5 prospective parents say they or their partner couldn't afford to take six weeks of paternity leave at the current statutory rate of pay.
However, if pay was boosted to 90 per cent of their income as it is for maternity pay for women, 57 per cent said they or their partner could afford to take the time off.
Paternity leave and mental health
Almost a third (29 per cent) of parents surveyed said either they or their partner had experienced a new mental health issue in the two years following the birth of their most recent child, with 45 per cent of these parents having received no treatment or support.
A total of 83 per cent of mothers with children under 12 thought that increasing paid paternity leave would have a positive impact on mothers’ mental health.
CPP and Pregnant then Screwed are calling on the Government to increase the length of non-transferable paternity leave to a minimum of six weeks and to pay it at 90 per cent of income, alongside enhancing existing maternity rights to reduce financial hardship, the gender employment gap, and the gender pay gap.
They also want paternity leave to be available to all working dads and partners.
'The UK's parental leave system has not kept pace with shifting gendered parenting roles'.
Rosie Fogden, head of research & analysis at CPP, said, ‘While long-held societal norms about gendered parenting roles are shifting, the UK’s parental leave system has not kept pace.
‘Extending paid paternity leave could also help us to close the gender pay gap, which in turn could boost the economy.’
Joeli Brearley, chief executive and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, commented, ‘If our next Government wants to set out a positive vision for the future, then thriving families must be central to their campaign.’
