**MPs Call for UK Dads to be Granted Six Weeks of Paid Paternity Leave**
Pressure is mounting on the UK government to expand and enhance paid paternity leave, as a cross-party committee of MPs warns that the current provisions for new fathers are lagging far behind international standards. The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has released a new report calling for fundamental reform, urging ministers to address what it describes as significant shortcomings in the existing structure of parental leave.
The committee’s investigation found that the UK falls short when it comes to supporting fathers during the crucial first weeks of their child’s life. At present, new dads in the UK are typically entitled to a maximum of two weeks of paid paternity leave, paid at either £187.18 per week or 90% of their usual pay – whichever is lower. Furthermore, this amount fails to meet the real living wage, raising concerns about the financial pressure faced by new families.
In stark contrast, new mothers are entitled to 90% of their usual pay for the first six weeks, with a further 33 weeks of lower statutory pay. The WEC’s report argues that such disparity entrenches outdated gender roles, placing the primary burden of childcare on mothers and perpetuating inequality in the home and the workplace.
Labour MP Sarah Owen, chair of the committee, stated, “The evidence is clear: urgent changes are needed to ensure our parental leave system fits the modern realities of working parents. We can no longer ignore the system’s low statutory pay, short leave periods for fathers, barriers for parents on lower incomes, and the overly complex nature of shared parental leave.”
International comparisons only underline the UK’s shortcomings. Many countries in the European Union have far more generous policies, with a legal minimum of two weeks’ paternity leave but numerous member states granting fathers much more time with their newborn children. For example, Spain recently introduced 16 weeks of paid leave for new fathers, setting a standard that the committee believes the UK should aspire to.
Beyond Europe, an analysis of the 38 OECD countries places the UK among the lowest for both the duration and pay of paternity leave. This has direct implications for family wellbeing, gender equality in the workplace, and the national gender pay gap. The WEC pointed out a notable trend: countries offering at least six weeks of well-paid leave for all parents tend to have a significantly smaller gender pay gap – on average, four percentage points lower than those which do not.
The committee’s recommendations are clear: extend paid paternity leave to six weeks, ensure it matches the maternity pay rate of 90% of the parent’s average earnings, and raise statutory pay so that all parents are guaranteed at least 80% of their usual income – or, at a minimum, the real living wage. These measures, the report insists, would not only support fathers but deliver dividends across society, from reducing discrimination to encouraging more balanced sharing of childcare responsibilities.
Another focus of the report is the accessibility of the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) scheme. The committee described this programme as unnecessarily complicated and called for reforms to expand its reach, especially for self-employed parents and those on lower incomes who are currently at risk of exclusion.
MP Sarah Owen urged ministers to treat reform as a matter of priority. “Tinkering at the edges of a broken system will continue to let down Britain’s working parents,” she said. While acknowledging that extensive reform will require a financial commitment, she argued that the investment will be repaid through the associated economic and social benefits, such as a more equal workplace and improved outcomes for families and children.
The government is currently preparing to review the statutory parental leave system. Advocates for reform, including the WEC, are watching eagerly to see if the promised review is robust enough to confront these longstanding problems and set a pathway towards a much more equitable and family-friendly workplace culture in the UK. With mounting international pressure and clear evidence of the benefits, expectations are high that the government will heed the call for change and deliver a system that reflects the contemporary needs of families across the nation.