Gender pay gap means men don’t opt for parental leave

THE gender pay gap means that new fathers are tending to stay at work, figures suggest, with only one per cent of those parents eligible to take shared parental leave opting to do so.

Just 9,200 parents took advantage of the Government’s shared parental leave scheme during the 12 months ending in March this year, according to law firm EMW.

The scheme allows both new parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay between them, in place of maternity leave and pay.

Jon Taylor, principal in the employment team at EMW, said: “Even accounting for a period of time to bed in the new programme, take-up is remarkably low. This is a result of cultural factors such as the gender pay gap, and also the simple economics of parents ensuring they are able to pay for children.

“Gender pay reporting shows that nationally there is still a significant gap between the pay of women and men. So when it comes to deciding which will be sacrificed during parental leave, it often makes economic sense to give up the lower salary, which is often the woman’s.”

The cost of raising a child to the age of 18 for a two-parent family, excluding housing, childcare, and council tax, is now £75,436, according to the Child Poverty Action Group. According to its research, a couple earning the national living wage falls 13 per cent short of

‘It often makes economic sense to give up the lower salary, which is often the woman’s’

that. Taylor said many employers offered enhanced maternity leave and pay schemes, but didn’t offer similarly enhanced schemes for shared parental leave. “Taking maternity leave remains the logical option for many couples,” he said. “Employers may find that being open and approachable about parental leave could help to improve loyalty.”

In April, data filed by UK companies and public bodies revealed that women were being paid a median hourly rate that was, on average, 9.7 per cent less than men.