Paternity pay is too low for us to take, say two in three fathers

TWO thirds of new fathers are failing to take paternity pay because the statutory rate is too low, lawyers have claimed.

According to the latest HMRC data, just 208,000 new fathers – one in three – claimed paternity pay in the year up to March 31, compared with 649,000 women who received maternity pay.

EMW, the commercial law firm which also specialises in employment, said the low level of statutory paternity pay is contributing to the limited uptake of paternity leave. The firm has urged the Government to consider raising the statutory paternity pay rate.

Jon Taylor, principal at EMW, said: “With two thirds of men still not claiming paternity pay, gender imbalances that still exist at home and in the workplace are unlikely to be ironed out.

“The Government should consider raising statutory paternity pay to boost uptake. This would be an enormous step towards reducing the parental leave gap and allow more fathers to support their partners and bond with their babies.”

He added: “Attempts to improve the situation with shared parental leave have still not put much of a dent in the problem.

“However, as many more people are currently working from home and are likely to continue doing so for some time yet, fathers may now find that it will become easier to balance professional and caregiving responsibilities.”

Claimants receive just £151.20 or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lowest.

Just 130,000 men claimed paternity pay in 2005-06, with the figure rising to 209,000 in 2012-13. However, the number of men claiming paternity pay has remained similar since then.

EMW says it is important that more fathers take paternity leave and share childcare responsibilities with their partner.

This would help mothers return to work earlier and progress in their careers, which in turn would help reduce the gender pay gap.

A government spokesman said: “We are committed to making it easier for fathers to take paternity leave.

“We have consulted on how we can better balance the gender division of parental leave and pay in the future and will respond in due course.”