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More than half of adults support shared parental leave

The majority of people in the UK think childcare should be shared equally between parents, suggests a survey.

Of the 2,138 adults questioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 53 per cent said that childcare should be the equal responsibility of both parents, while 22 per cent believe a couple should have the right to choose how they divide caring responsibilities.

Just under a quarter said that childcare should be the mother’s main responsibility.

The survey comes ahead of the introduction of Shared Parental Leave (SPL), which will apply to parents of babies born or adopted from 5 April.

Under the new rules, parents will be able to split 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them in their baby’s first year.

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