The Women and Equalities Committee is examining options for reform of the statutory shared parental leave scheme and statutory paternity rights with the aim of identifying the most effective ways of incentivising more equal sharing of childcare and wider domestic responsibilities between mothers and their partners. 

  • SPL is a policy aimed at improving gender equality in the workplace. Many parents in the United Kingdom are eligible to take SPL, but most still do not take it meaning the wider impact of the policy is limited. 

 

  • We recommend the following revisions to boost uptake and accessibility:
  1. improving the financial terms associated with SPL 
  2. simplifying the current system so it is easier for both parents and employers to navigate  
  3. reviewing the eligibility criteria 

  

  • However, we think a more effective or complimentary policy to support better balance and choice for working parents, would be for the government to increase statutory paternity leave to six weeks at or near the full rate of pay. This enhancing and ring fencing of paternity leave, is likely to have a bigger impact on father’s and partner’s ability to take parental leave and play an active role in their children’s early care, with potential longer-term equality impacts. 

Read our full response

Our response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee call for evidence on Equality at work: paternity and shared parental leave
PDF document 565.4 KB

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