One in five fathers are not taking any paternity leave, mainly because they cannot afford to reduce their income, damning new research suggests.
A study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) also found half of families struggle with money when fathers go on paternity leave. Another half said they did not feel able to take enough time off work to support their families.
Campaigners have called for an overhaul of the system, which they say “sets up mothers as the default carer” and drives women’s economic inequality.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: “It’s not right that so many dads can’t afford to take time off work when their babies are born.
“The arrival of a newborn is one of the most special moments in life. No parent should miss out on these precious first days. The UK’s parental leave and pay system needs an overhaul.
“Without better rights to well-paid leave, too many new parents will still miss out on spending time with their babies. And mums will continue to take on the bulk of caring.”
Mr Nowak called for the government to give all dads better-paid paternity leave and create a “new right to well-paid parental leave just for dads, that doesn’t rely on mums giving up some of their maternity leave”.
Parents in Britain can choose to take shared parental leave of up to 50 weeks, while paternity pay is currently £172.48 per week, or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings - whatever amount is lower. Statutory paternity leave only lasts for one or two weeks.
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the Women's Budget Group, told The Independent the findings demonstrate the “major problems” with our system of maternity, paternity and parental leave.
Dr Stephenson said it was a particular problem when there are rising costs of living.
Paternity leave is “about bonding with kids” but also “about helping mothers when they have just given birth”, she added.
Dr Stephenson said: “The experience of pregnancy and childbirth is draining. A high proportion of women have caesareans. There is no other situation where someone would be sent home from major abdominal surgery to then have to care for another human being.
“The problem is we have a system that sets up mothers as the default carers by giving appallingly low sums for fathers and second parents. This pattern - where women are responsible for unpaid care - is at the heart of women’s economic inequality.”
Around one in four of the parents who were not taking any paternity leave cited financial reasons.
Researchers also found just three in ten self-employed partners or fathers took time off when their partner had a child. Self-employed workers cannot access statutory paternity pay.
While almost nine in 10 parents where household income is over £60,000 were found to take statutory paternity leave offered by the employer, this plummeted to two-thirds when the household income was below £25,000.
Joeli Brearley, chief executive and founder of prominent campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “Paternity leave is not a luxury, but a necessity. The fact that dads and partners are forced to return to work within two weeks of being a parent is devastating for families.
“The government needs to urgently address the many issues with our parental leave system; we are so far behind other countries on this it’s embarrassing.”
