‘Pay dads to stay at home or shared leave will fail’

Three years after the launch of shared parental leave, calls for reform are growing. Sam Meadows investigates

Fathers must be given drastically improved rights or the Government’s shared parental leave policy risks failing entirely, experts have warned. The policy, three years old this week, is meant to allow fathers to be more involved in their children’s early years and mothers to return to the workplace sooner.

But the latest official estimates suggest that as little as 2pc of eligible parents have so far taken up the offer, with a lack of awareness and equal pay issues being blamed.

The Government launched a £1.5m advertising campaign in February to boost the prospects of a policy that employment experts say could help fix the gender pay gap at many firms. But the lack of pay parity is being flagged as a major stumbling block to the policy’s success.

How does it work?

Women in the workplace have the legal right to 52 weeks of maternity leave. The first six weeks of this must be paid at 90pc of their usual salary, with the next 33 weeks paid at the statutory level of £145.18 a week. Any leave beyond this does not have to be paid, although some employers provide “enhanced” packages with better terms.

Under paternity leave, men only have the right to two weeks of leave paid at the statutory level.

Shared parental leave gives couples the right to split the 52 weeks between them. The mother must take the first two weeks after birth off, but after that either parent can take the leave. The pay is at the statutory level for both parents, although the mother can still take six weeks of maternity pay at 90pc of her salary before switching. Parents can take the leave one after the other, or at the same time. The right is also extended to same-sex couples and adopting parents.

Fixing the gender pay gap?

Thousands of companies around the country have declared their gender pay gap in the past week. Shared parental leave is often championed as a way to help fix the issue. This is because it allows mothers, who could otherwise fall behind in their careers, the chance to return to work sooner after they have children.

According to Dr Jana Javornik, an academic specialising in family policy at the University of East London, other

Sorrel and Dave Ashton shared parental leave after their son, Cooper, was born