Recommendation 9

It is clear that maternity remains a significant barrier to women in financial services, with too many women leaving the industry after having children. We have heard that increased availability and take-up of paternity leave and shared parental leave by men can have a significant impact on reducing this barrier by fostering a more equal sharing of childcare responsibilities. Increased transparency around the maternity, paternity and parental leave offered by firms would also incentivise improvement in this area and allow both men and women to take account of these policies when moving roles, without having to ask for them during job interviews.