Better parental leave entitlements could reduce the demand for paid childcare but also improve the working conditions of nursery staff, writes Peter Moss
Parental leave has had star billing in the news, amid the speculation about whether Prime Minister Tony Blair should take time off work for the birth of his son Leo, and reports that the Government is considering paying up to 150 a week to parents taking leave. What implications might this have for nurseries?
Parental leave is an entitlement for parents to take time off work after the arrival of a child. Unlike maternity leave, which is mainly a health and welfare measure for mothers and newborn babies, and unlike paternity leave, which is mainly intended to give fathers some time off around the birth of their child, parental leave is equally available to mothers and fathers. It is intended to give both parents more time to care for their children, without risking their jobs. This new right was introduced into the UK at the end of last year. Employees having a baby or adopting a child on or after 15 December 1999, and who have completed one year's qualifying service with their employer, are entitled to 13 weeks leave for each child up until the age of five.
But parental leave is not just something that occurred to the Government when baby Blair was imminent. In 1996, the European Union adopted a directive that set minimum standards for parental leave in all member states. At the time this did not affect the UK. The Conservative Government had opted out of the Social Chapter to which the Directive was attached - indeed, the Government had consistently blocked the EU Directive since it was first proposed back in 1983. So when the new Labour Government signed the UK up to the Social Chapter, it also meant signing up to the Parental Leave Directive.
By 1999, the UK was the last country in Europe to bring in parental leave. However, as a new book, Parental Leave: Progress or Pitfall , shows, parental leave varies greatly in Europe with respect to length, flexibility, payment and encouragement for men to use it. The new UK scheme is the most minimal in Europe. It is unpaid, and parents are only entitled to take their 13 weeks in short blocks - the minimum length is one week and the maximum four weeks a year - even though European experience is that most parents want to take the leave in one block after maternity leave has finished.
In addition to parental leave, the Government has also brought in a right to 'time off for dependents' (another requirement of the EU directive). This can be claimed if, for example, a child or their childminder is ill or injured. But again it is minimal. There is no payment and the time allowed is unclear, covering an emergency only. This may mean only enough time off to sort out an alternative care-giving arrangement.
The 'benchmark' scheme for parental leave is Sweden's. The first European country to introduce such leave as a right, more than 25 years ago back in 1974, Sweden now offers 15 months paid leave per family, 12 months at 80 per cent of earnings, the remaining three months as a low flat-rate benefit. Paid leave can be taken full-time or part-time (and if part-time, the duration is extended accordingly), and in one block or several, at any time until a child's eight birthday. Take-up by fathers has been encouraged by publicity campaigns and other measures. Recently, one month of leave has been designated a 'pappa month', only available for fathers on the principle of 'use it or lose it'. Now 70 per cent of Swedish fathers take some parental leave, averaging about eight weeks, although mothers still take the greater part at an average of about 12 months.
As well as paid parental leave, Swedish parents who are working or studying, or have a child with special needs, are entitled to a publicly funded childcare place once their child is 12 months old. Despite the flexibility of the scheme, most parents take parental leave full-time before their child reaches the age of two years, taking up a childcare place during the child's second year. Fathers usually take their leave later on in this period, when the child is a bit older.
However, some parents do take advantage of the scheme's flexibility. For example, they may save some leave to take when their child is older, perhaps around the time of starting school, or they may take part of it on a full-time basis, but use the rest as part-time leave to enable them to work reduced hours on their initial return to work without loss of earnings (Swedes also have the right to work a six-hour day until their child reaches eight years, but there is no payment for lost earnings - using parental leave on a part-time basis therefore is the only way to reduce hours without losing money).
In addition to paid parental leave, Swedes are entitled to a further 60 days paid leave per year, until their child reaches 12 years (or 16 years if their child has a chronic illness or disability). This can be used for various purposes. Ten days can be taken within two months of childbirth or adoption by fathers, a sort of paternity leave. Two days can be taken annually to visit children at childcare centres or schools. But this leave is mainly used to care for a sick child or when the child's regular caretaker is ill. In fact, despite having a right to 60 days per year, most parents take only a few days of this leave - but the longer period is available in case a child becomes seriously ill, requiring a lot of parental time.
We can learn one other thing from the Swedes. They are very clear about what their objectives are for parental leave: ensuring the well-being of children, promoting women's economic independence and facilitating men's participation in child care and family life. Researchers Linda Haas and Philip Hwang, writing about Sweden in the new book, conclude that 'the ability to take parental leave seems to have helped Swedish women become and stay strongly attached to the labour force...[and] has also tended to change men's attitudes towards parenting and employment'.
What bearing does all this have on nurseries? There are two potential consequences. First, if parental leave was strengthened - for example, if it was paid properly and if parents could take it in one block - it might reduce the demand for care for very young children.
Sweden has gone for 12 months well-paid leave, one consequence being that the number of children aged under 12 months in public childcare fell from 3,000 in 1974 to 155 in 1994.
Second, parental leave could be used by childcare workers. All the evidence suggests that good workplace policies influence how well entitlements work. For example, do employees feel encouraged or discouraged from taking leave? Given the heavy reliance of nurseries on young women workers, the challenge facing nurseries is not only providing childcare for others: it is also how to provide a 'family-friendly' environment for their own staff, including support for taking parental leave.
The UK situation is fluid. A current court case brought by the Trades Union Congress involves a claim that parental leave should be retrospectively applied to cover all parents with a child under five - not just those having a child born since December 1999. This has been referred to the European Court of Justice, but there could be a two-year delay before it is heard.
The Government is now reviewing the new parental leave measures, including consideration of payments. Perhaps it recognises that its first attempt left a lot to be desired. As it stands now, parental leave in the UK was brought in by the Department of Trade and Industry with an eye on competition above all else, and is unlikely to do much for anyone.
Peter Moss is Professor of Early Childhood Provision at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London
For more information
Parental Leave: Progress or Pitfall? edited by Peter Moss and Fred Deven, or to order a copy, contact the Institute of Education Bookshop on 020 7612 6050.