Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
6th Report - Equality at work: Paternity and shared parental leave
Women and Equalities Committee
HC 502
Published 10 June 2025
Recommendations
2
Deferred
Raise statutory paternity pay to 90% of average earnings for first six weeks
Recommendation
A key aim of the Government’s review of the parental leave system must be to incentivise greater gender equality in parenting responsibilities. Increasing statutory paternity pay is a vital part of achieving this. As a priority, the Government must consider …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of gender equality in parenting and that the system needs improvement. It defers the recommendation to significantly raise statutory paternity pay to the ongoing 18-month parental leave and pay review, which will consider all entitlements and costs.
Government Equalities Office
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8
Deferred
Introduce a Paternity Allowance equivalent to Maternity Allowance for self-employed fathers
Recommendation
Lack of provision for self-employed parents, particularly fathers and other parents, is a key flaw in the system. Given the substantial economic contribution of self-employed fathers, it is grossly unfair to exclude them. Lack of provision causes financial hardship and …
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Government Response Summary
The government thanks the committee for highlighting the "A Better Start" campaign and mentions expanding the Family Hubs programme, but generally defers the specific recommendations for statutory paid leave and a Paternity Allowance for self-employed fathers, and rectifying Maternity Allowance rules, to its ongoing parental leave and pay review and call for evidence.
Government Equalities Office
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13
Deferred
Review adequacy of legal protections against paternity discrimination and raise awareness of rights.
Recommendation
In implementing reforms that work towards a more gender equal parental leave system, the Government must consider the potential impacts on employment discrimination against fathers and other parents. The Government’s review must consider the adequacy of legal protections against paternity …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response broadly discusses how the parental leave and pay review will consider support for various working families facing challenges, including kinship carers, single parents, and those with multiple births, but does not specifically address the adequacy of legal protections against paternity discrimination or awareness of fathers' legal rights.
Government Equalities Office
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19
Deferred
Address inequality for single parent families by allowing reallocation of co-parent leave entitlements.
Recommendation
In reforming the parental leave system, the Government must address inequality for single parent families. Unlike in many developed countries, single parents do not receive any portion of the paid leave that would be available to the household if they …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the challenges faced by single-parent families and states that the parental leave and pay review will consider options for them, including international systems, to ensure the system supports all working families.
Government Equalities Office
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20
Deferred
Require Government review to consider additional financial support for parents of multiple births
Recommendation
Our paid parental leave system provides comparatively very poorly for parents of multiple births, who face unique financial, practical and emotional impacts in caring for their babies and young children and juggling work commitments. The Government’s review must consider options …
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Government Response Summary
The government thanks the committee for highlighting challenges for parents of multiple births and states that the parental leave and pay review will consider these situations, including international systems, to better support all working families.
Government Equalities Office
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21
Deferred
Commit to meaningful reforms of the parental leave system in the medium term
Recommendation
The Government has said the parental leave system is broken and promised to launch a “full review”. It is clear that the system has some fundamental failings, including low statutory pay across the board; inadequate leave periods for fathers and …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the failings of the parental leave system and states it has launched a review that is currently in a discovery phase. It commits to publishing findings and a roadmap for potential reforms after the review concludes, rather than committing to specific medium-term reforms or an end-of-Parliament assessment.
Government Equalities Office
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22
Deferred
Adopt robust economic model for assessing costs and benefits of parental leave reforms
Recommendation
Producing much-needed substantial change to our paid parental leave system will require considerable financial investment. For example, the direct costs of extending and increasing paid leave for fathers and other parents to six weeks at 90% of average earnings are …
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Government Response Summary
The government confirms engagement with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and states that their economic model for extending paternity leave is being considered as part of the ongoing parental leave and pay review, promising a robust cost-benefit assessment for future policy options.
Government Equalities Office
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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 …
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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 Equalities Office
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Conclusions (2)
5
Conclusion
Deferred
Since introducing up to two weeks of paid statutory paternity leave over 20 years ago, the UK has fallen far behind many comparable countries. We now have one of the worst leave offers in the developed world for fathers and other parents. A maximum of two weeks paternity leave is …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need for change in parental leave and states it will enable Paternity Leave to be taken after Shared Parental Leave. However, it defers the consideration of increasing the length of paid Paternity Leave to the ongoing parental leave and pay review.
6
Conclusion
Deferred
There is very strong evidence from around the world and from UK employers’ gender equal schemes that providing fathers and other parents with an extended period of sustainably paid statutory leave typically transforms take up. Extending paternity leave therefore has the potential to shift the dial on gendered allocation of …
Government Response Summary
The government notes the committee's concerns about extended paid leave shifting gendered responsibilities and states this will be a key consideration, alongside fairness and equality, within the ongoing parental leave and pay review, including for self-employed parents.