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Leader Live
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP compares UK parental leave to European countries
MP for Wrexham Last week the UK Government announced a long-awaited review into the pay and leave that new parents can get after the birth of a child. The system has not been reviewed for years and in that time, peoples' working habits and families have changed. The Women and Equalities Committee recently reported that the UK's parental leave system was "one of the worst in the developed world" with "fundamental flaws". According to the campaign group The Dad Shift, one in three fathers take no paternity leave at all (paternity leave is currently 2 weeks in the UK) and despite shared parental leave being available, UK Government data shows that it is rarely taken. The UK system is also confusing to navigate with eight different types of parental leave available. Statutory maternity pay is less than half of the weekly National Living Wage for example. There are some interesting comparisons and approaches across Europe. In Spain for example, fathers can have 16 weeks at full pay, including for those who are self-employed. There is no cap on the salary paid. It means parental leave is now equal between parents in Spain. In Denmark, fathers including those who are self-employed, can take up to 24 weeks off work at full pay supported by the state. After eleven weeks, the remaining 13 weeks can be transferred to the birth partner to be used as extra maternity leave. Parents also have the option to postpone up to 13 weeks of parental leave until their child is aged nine. Research by the Centre for Progressive Policy found that there was a 4% decrease in the gender wage gap in countries with more than 6 weeks of paid paternity leave. Furthermore only 18% of people they surveyed felt that 2 weeks of paternity pay in the UK was enough. So, there is plenty to work on and to consider. The review is expected to take 18months. If you would like to raise anything with me about this issue or any other, please contact my office on 01978 788854 or email
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What we know about the UK's parental leave review
The UK's parental leave system is one of the least generous compared to other developed countries. Both statutory maternity pay, aimed at employed women, and maternity allowance – for those who are self-employed – are now worth less than half of the weekly national living wage. British fathers get the worst deal in Europe, with just two weeks off at pay that amounts to less than half the minimum wage. In a bid to address the long-standing problem, the government has launched a "landmark" review of parental leave and pay – a move welcomed by families and campaigners alike. But what exactly will ministers be reviewing, and what could happen at the end of the 18-month review? According to ministers, it will delve into the entire parental leave system, including maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave. It will also look at kinship care, when a child lives with relatives or friends if the parents are unable to care for them. 'They'll be examining both the length of leave and pay rates, as well as eligibility – particularly looking at what entitlement self-employed people should get,' says Alex Lloyd, co-founder of campaign group The Dad Shift. Read more: How to cope with pregnancy sickness at work 'Currently, self-employed people get absolutely no paternity leave or shared parental leave, and drastically reduced entitlement to maternity pay compared to employees.' A source of financial anxiety for many new mums, statutory maternity and adoption leave are paid at 90% of a mother's average weekly earnings for the first six weeks. Then for the next 33 weeks, they receive whichever is the lower of that 90% figure or £187.18 a week. For self-employed women – or those who don't meet the strict eligibility criteria – the situation is equally poor. Those who are self-employed are eligible for maternity allowance, which is currently between £27 and £187.18 a week for 39 weeks. 'Both maternity, paternity and adoption pay are 43% less than the national living wage, causing many families to experience financial hardship as a result of taking time out of work when they have given birth,' says Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed. 'Dads and non-birthing partners are forced to suck up the same benefits for their two weeks. This has long-lasting negative implications for babies and parents.' Clearly, one of the key issues is pay. Currently, new parents are struggling to afford basic necessities like food. A survey by Maternity Action and Unison found that a significant number of new mothers are skipping meals to afford essentials, or are eating smaller meals to cut back on food bills. For many single parents or low earners, low maternity pay and high living costs mean they have no choice but to return to work quickly — putting their physical and mental health at risk. Meanwhile, new fathers and partners miss out on crucial bonding time with their children. They're forced to make an impossible choice between keeping their family afloat financially or being present for them, while women shoulder most of the care burden after childbirth. 'Campaigners are calling for a minimum of six weeks paternity leave paid at 90% of salary,' says Lloyd. 'That would be a significant step forwards but would still be below the European average of eight weeks at full pay, so we would also like to see concrete provisions to further increase the length and pay in the near future.' Read more: How to apply for jobs when you're pregnant Experts have emphasised that securing better paternity pay would also benefit all parents, not just fathers. In fact, a recent report from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath found that extending paternity leave to six weeks, paid at 90% of average earnings and available from day one of employment, could deliver net social benefits of up to £12.8 billion annually. 'Fathers want to be more involved and mothers want to stay connected to work,' says Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg, an economics lecturer at the University of Bath. 'The current system lets everyone down. We're calling for a policy that matches what modern parents want. Six weeks of well-paid leave is a simple and cost-effective place to start.' Campaigners are also calling for the complex parental leave system to be made less complicated. At the moment, it effectively excludes a lot of self-employed people, fathers and co-parents – and there are many caveats that lead to hidden inequalities. For example, there are strict eligibility criteria for statutory maternity pay. To qualify, a new mother must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before her due date — and still be employed at that time. 'We would also like to see the government remedy the injustices in maternity allowance,' says Rhian Beynon, senior public affairs and communications officer at Maternity Action. 'If a maternity allowance recipient is claiming universal credit, universal credit will treat the maternity allowance as unearned income and claw it back pound-for-pound, so effectively the claimant is no better off. By contrast, universal credit treats statutory maternity allowance as earned income.' In the UK, single parents, kinship carers and students often fall through the cracks of the current parental leave and pay system. While single parents can access statutory leave and pay if they meet employment criteria, they face greater financial pressure and lack the option to share leave. In reality, single parents often face greater challenges due to lower household income, limited flexibility, and less practical support — all made worse by a system that assumes a two-parent household. Kinship carers, like grandparents or relatives raising children, are usually excluded unless they have legal parental status. Students, unless employed, don't qualify for statutory maternity or paternity pay and often rely on benefits instead. Campaigners argue that these groups are overlooked and are calling for more inclusive and flexible parental leave policies. The review will take 18 months to complete, but campaigners say pregnant women and new parents can't wait until 2027 for legislative action on the poor state of parental pay. The UK's parental leave system is widely seen as outdated, underfunded, and unfair — especially for those who don't fit the traditional two-parent, full-time employed model. With some of the lowest rates of pay and shortest periods of leave in the developed world, it places huge financial strain on new parents, and forces many back to work too soon. 'Before the end of the review, the government needs to increase maternity pay significantly beyond the rate of inflation unless more new parents are to be pushed into poverty and debt for having a child,' says Beynon. Read more: Why neurodivergent workers pay the price for poor communication Why the pressure to be liked at work is holding women back Five soft skills that can help you get hired or promoted at work
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour could make paternity leave a ‘day-one right'
Angela Rayner has announced a full review of parental leave policies that could see more paternity leave enshrined in law. Ministers believe the current rules, which allow women to take 39 weeks of leave on reduced pay and men to take two weeks, may be holding back productivity. Meanwhile, the Department of Business and Trade, which is carrying out the 18-month review into parental leave, will explore making paternity leave and unpaid parental leave a 'day one right' for employees. One in three new fathers do not take up paternity leave, while the uptake of shared parental leave, when the period of absence can be shared between a couple, is low. The Government could also change the rules to allow paternity leave to be taken after a period of shared parental leave, which is not currently permitted. Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, said: 'Those early years are the most special time for families, but too many struggle to balance their work and home lives. 'Supporting working parents isn't just the right thing to do – it's vital for our economy. 'Through our Plan to Make Work Pay, we're already improving the parental leave system with new day 1 rights. This ambitious review will leave no stone unturned as we deliver for working families.' 'The best chance in a generation' The review was welcomed by paternity leave campaigners, who have long argued that unequal rules for men and women can be harmful to both partners and their child. George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: 'The Government's review of parental leave is the best chance in a generation to improve the system and make sure it actually works for working families. 'When the last Labour government introduced paternity leave it was groundbreaking. But that offer, unchanged since, is now the least generous in Europe. 'Our broken parental leave has been overlooked for years, and finally sorting it out would be good not only for parents and children but for businesses too.' 'Precious early years' The review comes amid warnings about the UK's productivity levels, which lag behind other rich countries. The UK's fiscal watchdog is widely expected to downgrade Britain's productivity forecast this summer. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, who is facing a backlash to her welfare reforms among Labour MPs, said changes to the rules would be appreciated by parents and businesses. 'Every parent should have the chance to spend time with their children during those precious early years,' she said. 'This review delivers on our Plan for Change to support families and give children the best start in life. 'By listening to parents and employers across the country, we'll build a system that works for today's working families.'
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Parental leave and pay for new parents to be reviewed by ministers
The amount of time off and pay new parents can get after the birth of a child will be looked at in a "landmark" review, the government said they wanted to modernise the system across paternity, maternity and shared parental leave, which campaigners said had been "overlooked for years".Campaign group The Dad Shift called the review the "best chance in a generation to improve the system and make sure it actually works for working families".A committee of MPs recently called the UK's parental leave system "one of the worst in the developed world" with "fundamental flaws".Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said jobs would be lost if more costs were "piled on to employers". June's report by the Women and Equalities Committee said "bold" action was needed to address those flaws, but warned that any changes would require significant Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said businesses, like parents, had been telling ministers that the system needed a "serious looking at"."We haven't had a serious look at parental leave for several decades now in the UK," he said. "The time is now, and if people have got strong views on that, I want them to come and get involved."The shadow business secretary said: "If you've no job in the first place it doesn't matter how much family leave you get." The government's review will look at statutory leave, which is the minimum amount employers have to provide by law and is funded by the government. Some companies choose to top this up for their employees using their own maternity leave allows most new mums and birthing parents to take up to 52 weeks off maternity pay is paid for up to 39 weeks, providing 90% of a person's average weekly earnings - before tax - for the first six following 33 weeks pays either £187.18 per week, or 90% of their average weekly earnings again - whichever is are ineligible for statutory maternity pay if they are self-employed or earn less than £125 a paternity leave, which was introduced in 2003, allows most new fathers and second parents in the UK to take up to two weeks off applies to all partners, regardless of gender, after the birth, surrogacy or adoption of a baby. Like with maternity leave, those who are eligible receive £187.18 a week or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower, for those two works out as less than 50% of the National Living Wage - the minimum amount that employers are legally required to pay anyone aged 21 and cannot receive statutory paternity leave and pay if they are self-employed or earn less than £125 a parental leave was introduced in 2014 and allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a its review of the whole parental leave system, the government acknowledged that take-up of shared parental leave was very low, as well as the fact that one in three dads do not take paternity leave because they cannot afford Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift campaign, said paternity leave was "groundbreaking" when it was introduced by the last Labour government, but by remaining unchanged since then had become the "least generous in Europe".He said he was "delighted" with the review and "ambitious for the change to come".Rachel Grocott, chief executive of the Pregnant Then Screwed charity, said improving parental leave overall would help to close the gender pay gap and give children the best start in life, adding that investing in the system was a "no-brainer".
Scotsman
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why are less Scots having babies? The answer is very obvious
Making Scotland an easier place to be a parent could help tackle historically low birth rates. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scots are not having enough babies. In 2023, statistics showed the birth rate had fallen to 1.3 babies per woman - a historic low. At this point, our population is being sustained by migration. There are a lot of reasons for this, but poor parental leave and extortionate childcare costs are glaringly obvious factors here. This has been a hot topic in Holyrood this week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Less Scots are having babies. On Thursday, Green MSP Mark Ruskell said he was 'embarrassed' at only being able to offer his staff two weeks of paternity leave. He said: 'I know the law is two weeks, but public institutions should go further. Reflecting on my own experience, two weeks is just not enough.' Two days earlier, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said too many women were being forced out of politics because of poor childcare options. She said: 'If we can't keep a hold of mums in politics, we lose a really strong voice for other mums out there struggling with childcare. If we can't do it for mums in Parliament, we can't do it for mums outside Parliament.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Two weeks ago the campaign group The Dad Shift demonstrated en-masse outside Holyrood demanding better parental leave policies. Most of these policies are reserved to Westminster, but it is clear there is a desire for change amongst Scots, including inside the devolved Scottish Parliament. Almost everyone - with the exception of UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch - will agree that maternity and paternity leave is far too low. Statutory maternity leave after the first six weeks is just £187.18 a week - for fathers, it is two weeks at the same rate. Considering the median weekly earnings in Scotland in 2024 was £738.70, it is obvious new parents are taking a massive financial hit here. But the length of time is a problem too, particularly for new dads. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An obvious flaw in the system comes when you look at something as common as Caesarean sections. It takes around six weeks to recover and yet, for four of those weeks, mums are expected to get on with things on their own. We also need to remember that if dads take more time off work, mothers are less likely to take career breaks, which in turn would help close the gender pay gap. The Dad Shift wants to see six weeks of paternity leave at regular pay as the norm. This is what has been recommended to Westminster's women and equalities committee. Across Europe, the average paternity pay is eight weeks and the UK is ranked at the bottom. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Let us look at another sticking point - childcare. Yes, in Scotland parents can get 1,140 hours of funded childcare, but for most this is only after the child turns three. It also works out at around 22 hours a week, somewhat short of the up to 40-hour working week for the average Scot. The campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed found 75 per cent of mothers paying for childcare say it does not make financial sense for them to work. One in three are in debt because of childcare and one in four say childcare costs are more than 75 per cent of their take home pay. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Four in ten Scots who have an abortion cite spiralling childcare costs as one of their reasons.
