Urgent calls to overhaul ‘broken’ parental leave for dads
UK government criticised over delayed paternity leave reforms
- The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has criticised the UK's parental leave system as “broken” and among the worst in the developed world for fathers and other parents.
- The committee specifically condemned the maximum two weeks’ paternity leave as “completely out of step” and a factor that “entrenches outdated gender stereotypes”.
- The government acknowledged the need for improvements and committed to a review of the parental leave system, including all current and upcoming entitlements.
- WEC chair Sarah Owen stated that the review must be a “watershed moment” leading to far-reaching improvements, warning against merely “tinkering around the edges”.
- Owen expressed disappointment that the government's response lacked a definite commitment to longer, better-paid paternity leave during this Parliament, despite evidence of business benefits from gender-equal policies.