Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
Services for new parents remain highly gendered, often marginalising men's caring roles.
Conclusion
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 Summary
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 parental leave review, it will consider their interactions with possible reforms.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government values the important role fathers and partners play in both caring for their children and supporting the mother after having a child. We recognise that parental leave and pay entitlements, such as Paternity Leave and Pay, play a key role in this. We thank the committee for highlighting the “A Better Start” campaign and it’s aims to support more gender equal parenting. On 11 June, the Chancellor set out plans for spending and public sector reforms through the Spending Review 2025. This announcement confirmed departmental budgets for 2026–27 onwards and committed to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme, working with parents to help give children the best start in life. The 75 areas currently participating in the programme receive funding to improve their parenting offer for expectant parents and/or those with babies ages 0–2 with a focus on promoting the importance of bonding and attachment. Local authorities have also commissioned evidence-based programmes to suit their local context – to support prospective parents for parenthood and promote the importance of bonding and attachment and the home learning environment for pre-school children. By focusing support on the home environment, parents (mothers/fathers and caregivers), and the quality of parent-child relationships, we are helping to give children the best start in life and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, details of which are available on GOV.UK. There are several policy areas or initiatives which have clear links and interdependencies with the parental leave and pay system, including enforcement of employment rights, employment status and childcare provision. Whilst these go beyond the scope of the parental leave and pay review, we will consider the interactions with ongoing government work in these areas, limited to potential impacts from possible reforms to the parental leave and pay system. We will draw on the experience and evidence available across a wide range of stakeholders, both from groups representing parents and families, including trade unions, and with employers or employer representatives. Alongside the review, we also launched a call for evidence, open for eight weeks, to start this work. The parental leave and pay review will also support the government’s commitments to raising living standards and giving children the best start in life.