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Select Committee · Women and Equalities Committee

Equality at work: paternity and shared parental leave

Status: Closed Opened: 6 Dec 2024 Closed: 17 Sep 2025 14 recommendations 9 conclusions 1 report

Unequal division of childcaring responsibilities is a key driver of wider gender inequality and the gender pay gap. 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 …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
6th Report - Equality at work: Paternity and shared parenta… HC 502 10 Jun 2025 23 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
10 Conclusion 6th Report - Equality at work: Paternit… Accepted

Services for new parents remain highly gendered, often marginalising men's caring roles.

The design and staffing of services for new parents caring for babies is highly gendered and can exclude or marginalise men, compounding cultural barriers to them taking a greater role in caring for their children. (Conclusion, Paragraph 69)

Government response. The government acknowledges the important role of fathers and partners, referencing existing initiatives like the Family Hubs programme and "A Better Start" campaign that support families. It notes that while some related policy areas are outside the scope of the …
Government Equalities Office
11 Recommendation 6th Report - Equality at work: Paternit… Accepted

Reduce cultural and societal barriers preventing fathers, especially working-class, from taking parental leave.

Alongside reforms of statutory paternity pay and leave entitlements, the Government’s review must consider steps it can take to reduce wider cultural and societal barriers to fathers taking more leave. It should in particularly consider steps to reduce cultural barriers in working class households and workplaces in which working class …

Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating it will engage with stakeholders through its parental leave and pay review, conduct focus groups and roundtables, and collaborate with trade unions and businesses. It also plans to require employers to publish action plans …
Government Equalities Office

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
1 Apr 2025 Claire McCartney · Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Jonny Briggs · Aviva, Nikki Pound · Trade Union Congress (TUC) View ↗
25 Mar 2025 Claire McCartney · Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Jonny Briggs · Aviva, Nikki Pound · Trade Union Congress (TUC) View ↗
26 Feb 2025 Abby Jitendra · Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Alex Lloyd Hunter · The Dad Shift, Dr Gemma Mitchell · University of East Anglia, Dr Sarah Forbes · The Equal Parenting Project, Jemima Olchawski · The Fawcett Society, Joeli Brearley · Pregnant Then Screwed, Karla Capstick View ↗