The UK's statutory paternity offer is the least generous in Europe, and one of the worst in the developed world. Britain's fathers - and their families - deserve better.
Campaign
What we're calling for
We want all UK fathers to have the right to six weeks’ well-paid leave in their baby’s first year, as a minimum.
This should include:
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Two weeks’ paternity leave, to be taken after the birth
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A ‘daddy month’ (four weeks) of non-transferable parental leave, to be taken at any point in the baby’s first year but ideally solo, when the mother returns to work
The six weeks' leave should be paid at 90% of average weekly earnings, just as the first six weeks of maternity leave is now. It should be a Day 1 right for all employed fathers / second parents, and with a payment 'cap' for high earners.
There should be a Paternity Allowance for self-employed fathers/second parents, similar to the Maternity Allowance currently available for mothers ineligible to maternity leave.
There should also be some paid 'crisis days' for dads to take, if needed, while the mother is still on maternity leave and before the 'daddy month' kicks in.
Discover our other fatherhood-focused campaign, 'Looking out for dad', and help us improve the health support that fathers receive
Why change is needed
Fathers need a good amount of protected time to:
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Bond with their babies
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Support mothers’ birth recovery and breastfeeding
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Become skilled and confident solo caregivers
The current UK statutory paternity offer excludes too many fathers – including those who are self-employed, aren’t classed as ‘employees’, or have changed employer within the previous ten months; and those who DO qualify, but can’t afford to take the leave.
The Labour Government's Employment Rights Bill promises to make paternity leave a Day 1 right, but there's no detail on pay - and in any case, what's needed is a fundamental redesign of our parenting leave system.
Our country is missing an opportunity to become more competitive by enhancing statutory support for fathers.
Six weeks for dads would help:
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Many more fathers take leave
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Many mothers return to work earlier
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Reduce the gender pay gap
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Reduce financial stress for families of young children
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Lessen demand for paid-for early years education and childcare
Why six weeks?
We are proposing the 6 weeks model as a significant improvement on the current offer, which has barely changed since it was introduced in 2003.
This would offer a middle ground between the current offer and ‘best in class’ Scandinavian systems – which feature longer periods of parental leave, clearly ringfenced for each parent.
We see our proposal as a vital stepping stone towards such a system: for the first time, mothers and fathers would have access to an equal amount of well-paid leave – and fathers would have an individual right to a month of parental leave, which is key to transforming gendered roles and attitudes.
We are working hard behind the scenes to push for the Government's promised parental leave review to be open to such ideas, and we will feed in the best possible evidence to the review when it happens.
The Inspiring Dads Parental Leave Database (free access) allows you to search for employers which meet our campaign goals, offering six weeks or more of fully paid leave for fathers
What we're doing
How you can help
This is important because we need to put a human face on our campaign. Maybe you're a dad who wasn't able to take time off when your baby was born, or a mum whose partner couldn't. Perhaps you could take an extended amount of leave, and can talk about how great that was.
Please share your story with us today.
The more case studies we can gather, the more likely we are to gain valuable media coverage for the campaign.
Are you an employer with an enhanced paternity or parental leave offer? Use the contact form at the bottom of the Inspiring Dads' Parental Leave Database page to be added to this resource
The FI Dads' Panel is a diverse group of fathers from across the UK who take their caring responsibilities seriously - and who come together online once every three months to provide feedback on our work, help us plan our future strategy, and contribute to our advocacy. Learn more and register now.
Organisations or projects that work with fathers
Email our Deputy Chief Exec, Dr Jeremy Davies, so we can publicise your support for the campaign.
Individuals
Become an FI supporter today, and accelerate the movement for lasting, transformative change for fathers.
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Case studies
Meet the experts
Welcome to our new series, part of our ongoing campaign for improved paternity and reserved parental
leave for fathers. Each month, we’ll be sharing a video interview with a researcher exploring the evidence
underpinning our campaign
Resources
Data and analysis
A summary of data gathered by Clare Matysova on UK higher education institutions' leave offers for parents
The Inspiring Dads Parental Leave Database allows you to search for organisations that meet our campaign goals, offering a minimum of six weeks fully paid leave for dads
A table showing where the UK stands in the international league table for paid paternity and parental leave
A summary of what the UK spends on fathers
A summary of paid leave for fathers globally
Blogs
2024
(Oct) Taking the fight for a better paternity offer to parliament
(July) How father-friendly is the new UK Labour Government Cabinet?
(June) Britain's dads deserve a better deal: make your voice heard
(March) An insult to Britain's families: Spring 2024 tweaks to UK paternity leave
(February) Shifting deckchairs on the Titanic
(January) Next steps for our 6 weeks for dads campaign
2023
(November) Our campaign for 6 weeks' well-paid leave for dads: an update
(June) How six weeks' leave for dads could bring billions to the UK economy
(June) Workhorse fathers: why it's time we gave UK fathers a break
(June) What price for time with dad? The UK's £1k-per-father paternity leave gap
News coverage
(June 2024) Channel 5: More paternity leave for dads?
(June 2024) People Management: Paternity leave 'significantly stalling' gender equality, research suggests
(March 2024) People Management: Call for more help as survey reveals many fathers cannot afford to take paternity leave
(March 2024) BBC News: Paternity leave - call for more help as fathers cannot afford time off
(March 2024) BBC News: New paternity leave rules in England, Scotland, and Wales with FI's Dr Jeremy Davies
(June 2023) Metro: Why two weeks paternity leave will never be enough for today's dads
(March 2024) Parent-Infant Foundation: Manifesto for Babies launch event with FI's Kathy Jones (starts at 21'00)
(February 2024) Future Men: Agenda Dad with FI's Dr Jeremy Davies
Presentations