Further findings from Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation report, based upon a survey of 35,800 parents, of which a sample of 5,870 parents were extracted to be nationally representative, reveal:
- Three in five fathers (63.7 per cent) took two weeks or less paternity leave following the birth of their most recent child.
- Less than a third (29 per cent) of fathers reported being able to access enhanced paternity leave pay.
- Half of fathers who had access to enhanced paternity pay were still only able to take two weeks or less of paternity leave.
- Just over 70 per cent of fathers only used part of their paternity leave entitlement because they couldn’t afford to stay off any longer.
The Pregnant Then Screwed research, in collaboration with Women in Data, has been released to coincide with changes to paternity leave law that come into effect today.
Under the Paternity Leave Amendment Regulations 2024, dads and partners of children born or adopted after the 6th of April will be able to split paternity leave into two one-week blocks instead of having to take it in one two-week block.
According to Pregnant Then Screwed, the legislative changes have been heavily criticised by campaign groups for not addressing the overall low rate of statutory paternity pay or increasing the overall length of time dads and partners can spend with their new baby.
The UK has the least generous paternity leave entitlement in Europe. Currently, the statutory entitlement to paternity leave is two weeks, and the weekly rate for paternity pay is £172.48 a week or 90 per cent of your salary (whichever is lower).
Pregnant Then Screwed is now calling for paternity leave to be increased to six weeks paid at 90 per cent of their salary.
'Shared parental leave has failed on almost every measure set by the Government'.
Joeli Brearley, chief executive and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said, ‘Paternity leave isn’t a break from work, it isn’t a holiday - it is crucial bonding time. We know that paternity leave has huge benefits for the whole family: children do better in the education system, and there is research to suggest they have better physical health. Paternity leave reduces the divorce rate - couples are more likely to stay together. It has benefits for the physical and mental health of mothers, and we know that many dads are desperate to spend more time with their children.
She added, ‘Shared parental leave has failed on almost every measure set by the Government. In addition, the scheme is fundamentally flawed. It is not shared parental leave at all, it is shared maternity leave. It requires a mother to give away a portion of her leave to her partner and understandably most mothers don’t want to do that.
‘But also, in the majority of families where there is a mother and a father, the man earns the most, so removing his income and replacing it with just £172.48 statutory pay a week would have disastrous consequences for the whole family.’