Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 14
6th Report - Equality at work: Paternity and shared parental leave
Published 10 Jun 2025
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Equality at work: paternity and shared parental leave All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) has clear benefits for couples who are able to access it. SPL enables a range of flexible options in how parents share their parental responsibilities and balance these with working life. It is the only aspect of our system that allows fathers and other parents an extended period to care for their babies, strengthening bonds with their children and enhancing family life. The scheme’s flexibility allows mothers to maintain attachment to the labour market and career progression. There is evidence that mothers are increasingly aware of this and taking advantage of the flexibility the scheme allows. However, SPL’s complex set of employment status, time in service and earnings eligibility criteria exclude many working parents and are extremely difficult for most parents and their employers to understand. Take up is consequently too low to have a significant societal or economy-wide impact. (Conclusion, Paragraph 91)
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 6th Report - Equality at work: Paternity and shared parental leave (HC 502), 10 June 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 September 2025 (deadline 11 August 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says the parental leave system "needs improvement" and points the Committee's recommendations to its parental leave and pay review, launched on 1 July 2025, rather than committing to specific changes now.
- On paternity pay and leave, the government says increases to the length of paid Paternity Leave should be "considered through the parental leave review" so it can look at the system as a whole.
- On day one paid paternity leave, the government says making statutory paternity or maternity pay a day one right would raise "significant practical and financial challenges". The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave day one rights, coming into force in April 2026.
- On self-employed parents, the government says there is no equivalent Paternity Allowance because "there are no equivalent health and safety requirements", but the review will consider whether support meets the needs of families who do not currently qualify for existing leave, such as the self-employed.
- The review is expected to run for 18 months and "will conclude with a set of findings and a roadmap, including next steps for taking any potential action". Shared Parental Leave, kinship carers, single parents and multiple births are in scope.