Researchers call for paternity leave reform in face of low uptake

Academics from the University of Bath plan to set out what they say are improvements to the system of Shared Parental Leave in the UK, ahead of what is claimed to be the world’s first ‘Dad Strike’ on 11 June in London and Edinburgh. The protest, timed just ahead of Father’s Day, is a call to action for urgent reform of the UK’s paternity leave system. Research by lobby group The Dad Shift and Shaun Davies MP claims that just 3 percent of the UK’s £3.3 billion parental leave investment supports fathers.

In support of this national call for change, University of Bath economists Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Dr Alistair Hunt will publish a new policy paper in June proposing costed reforms to the Shared Parental Leave system. Their recommendations include six weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, paid at 90 percent of wages and six weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, at the statutory rate

Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg said: “The government’s Shared Parental Leave policy was well-intentioned, but it’s failed to deliver for fathers and families. The truth is: dads want to be more involved, but the system makes it too hard and too expensive. This protest makes clear that inaction is no longer an option.”

Earlier research by Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Professor Eleonora Fichera (University of Bath), in collaboration with Professor Melanie Jones and Dr Ezgi Kaya (Cardiff Business School), published by the University’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR) analysed data from over 1,400 working UK fathers in households with young children in the UK Household Longitudinal Study and found no measurable impact of SPL on the number of dads taking leave – or how long they take it for.

The team found that fathers are still not taking more time off after a child is born. The Dad Shift protest comes just weeks ahead of an expected government review into parental leave. Though not yet officially announced, sources suggest this long-delayed review may launch in early July.

Dr Clifton-Sprigg’s and Dr Alistair Hunt’s new policy paper, developed with Working Families and Fatherhood Institute, will be presented to government in late June and is expected to offer practical, costed alternatives to the current model, showing reform is both affordable and achievable.