Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Deferred
Publish transparent data on gender equality outcomes and parental leave take-up by gender
Recommendation
The Government’s review should have gender equality at its heart. Countries which provide a substantial period of well-paid leave for fathers and other parents have on average a four-percentage point smaller gender pay gap than those that allow less than six weeks. Increasing women’s labour market participation and earnings and reducing the gender gap pay should be key long-term objectives. Progress must be monitored at the household level, including by hours spent on unpaid caring and work in the home by gender; women’s rates of return to work after births; and take up of paid and unpaid parental leave by gender. The Government must ensure data on these measures are transparently available. (Recommendation, Paragraph 125) 61
Government Response Summary
The government recognizes the importance of gender equality and will consider these objectives, including improving women's labour market outcomes and tackling the gender pay gap, within its ongoing parental leave and pay review. It states that data on parental leave take-up by gender is already routinely published and a roadmap with relevant data supporting further action will be set out at the review's completion.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government recognises the unique opportunity of the parental leave and pay review to reset our approach to parental leave and pay. Parental leave and pay play an important role in helping working parents to balance their work and home lives, including ensuring equal participation in the labour market. Economic growth through labour market participation is one of the objectives that we will consider the current system and the case for future reform against. This includes considering whether a potential reform supports economic growth by enabling more parents to stay in work and advance in their careers after starting a family. Additionally, we will consider whether the parental leave and pay system both improves women’s labour market outcomes, and tackles the gender pay gap and “motherhood penalty”. Throughout the review fairness and equality, ensuring that we build a fair system, will be one of the three cross-cutting considerations. Data is routinely published on the take up of parental leave by gender and the latest statistics have been published via the parental leave review in a supporting evidence annex and HMRC data tables. Through the parental leave and pay review’s call for evidence the government will build up a bank of evidence to further our understanding of the impacts of the current system. At the completion of the review the government will publish a roadmap and set of findings where relevant data supporting further action will be set out.