Women and Equalities Committee has called on the UK Government to address the fundamental flaws of the parental leave system in its full review proposal. The committee, in a report entitled Equality at Work: Paternity & Shared Parental Leave, describes the system as broken and urges Ministers to reject minor reforms and embrace comprehensive change.
The WEC highlights a number of shortcomings in the existing system. These include low statutory wages, inadequate parental leave for fathers, limited eligibility and design problems with Shared Parental Leave. Working parents are at risk of being let down by a review which does not address these issues.
The current statutory parental pay is significantly lower than the rates paid in other comparable countries and has not kept up with inflation. WEC recommends the Government increase paternity payments to 90 percent average earnings during the first six-week period, in order to match the statutory maternity benefits. In the long term, the WEC suggests that pay be increased to a significant portion of average earnings for the first six weeks or the Living Wage.
The report calls for an amendment of the Employment Rights Bill, or at least a commitment to review a right to paid paternity leaves from day one. The UK currently offers only two weeks of paternity leave. According to the WEC, this is not in line with family needs and reinforces gender roles that are outdated.
Sarah Owen, MP and Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee said: “It is clear from our Committee’s Report that the UK’s Parental Leave System urgently needs to be overhauled in order to match the realities of working parents lives.” This must begin with longer, better-paid paternity leaves.”
Access and equality for all working families
WEC recommends that the statutory paid leave for fathers should be extended gradually to six weeks during this Parliament using international models as guides. The report recommends that a similar Maternity Allowance be introduced for fathers who are self-employed or non-employees.
WEC describes this as “deeply unfair” because it excludes fathers who are self-employed from the paid leave provisions. The Committee believes that this group should be included in any review by the Government and calls for consideration of alternatives which provide equal rights.
The report also highlights cultural and socio-cultural factors that could discourage fathers from taking long leave. WEC recommends the Government to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of initiatives like the National Children’s Bureau’s A Better Start Partnerships, which aim at increasing male involvement in early parenthood.
WEC’s conclusion on Shared Parental Leave is that it is difficult for parents and employers to access and complex.
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Nicola Wallbank is an employment partner with Freeths. She told HR Review that in the UK fathers and partners of the same sex have the right to up to two full weeks of statutory paternity leaves. The leave must be taken in the first 52 weeks after a child is born and pays PS187.18 per week, or 90% of the average weekly wage (whichever is less).
The current system is causing many fathers to fall through the cracks, and those that haven’t been working for their employers long enough (i.e. The current system is causing many fathers and same-sex partners to fall through the cracks, with those who are self-employed or have not been working for their employer long enough (i.e.
Wallbank said that, in her experience as a employment lawyer, shared parental leave is “very low”. This has been the case since it was introduced over ten years ago.
Wallbank said that the low take-up is due to the complexity of the system (which employers and employees don’t fully understand) and the fact it takes away the parental leave on maternity leave.
Call for meaningful reform
Owen said that the Government’s proposal review must address the fundamental flaws of the system.
“The UK parental leave system is far behind other comparable countries and we have now one of the worst leave provisions for fathers and parents in developed nations.” She said that countries which allow a significant period of paid leave for parents on average have a smaller pay gap between men and women than those who only provide six weeks.
She encouraged ministers to implement mid-term reforms which would move the UK towards a more equitable system rather than opting for minor adjustments.
Claire McCartney of the CIPD’s policy and practice department welcomed the WEC Report.
She said, “The current system is not working and the government needs to conduct a comprehensive and holistic review that will support better, more equitable and fuller employment.”
We are particularly pleased with the WEC’s recommendation to extend paternity leave to up to six full weeks, at or close to the full rate of salary, using a phased-in approach and simplify the current very complex shared parental leave scheme. The CIPD called for statutory pay and paternity leaves to be extended to balance caregiving responsibilities and provide financial support to working families.
It’s important that the review of the government considers the lessons learned from successful international approaches, and the steps the government can take to remove wider cultural and social barriers to fathers taking a greater amount of leave.
