British dads are losing out
Maternity and paternity leave and pay should be fairer, says think tank.
Posted: 15 July 2009
by Cassandra Kempster-Roberts
Dads should be able to take six months' leave in the first year of their baby's life, an independent think tank has suggested.
Parental leave in the UK is unfair, anti-dad and not good for business, a new report from the independent think tank Reform has stated.
Dads have few rights when it comes to paternity leave. The report has shown that if paternity leave is taken, families are stronger and dads are more likely to read to their children, too.
Mums are also forced to choose between working or staying at home, the study says. Mums who want to stay in contact with their workplace without returning to full-time employment forfeit their maternity pay. Also, those in casual and lower skilled jobs get the least pay and the least amount of maternity leave. Mums on £50,000 a year who take six months maternity leave get almost £8,000 from the taxpayer. Mums on the minimum wage – that’s £12,000 a year – will get only £4,500 of taxpayers’ money.
Also discussed in the report, called “Productive Parents”, was the idea that professionals and managers often can rely on employer help and can afford time off, in a way that those in casual or low skilled work can’t.
So what does the Reform report suggest we do about the current maternity and paternity leave and pay situation? Amongst its recommendations are these ideas:
- Turn maternity pay into a flat rate ‘parental payment’ of £5,000, payable monthly and shared between mum and dad. This would work out at £192 a week, compared to the current basic statutory maternity pay of £123 per week.
- Give six months of unpaid leave to both mum and dad during the first year of their baby’s life. Mum and dad can take their leave at the same time or one after the other.
- Parents should get the parental payment, regardless of the length of leave they decide to take.
- Get rid of programmes seen as ‘gimmicks’, such as the health in pregnancy grant, the healthy start scheme and the employer supported childcare schemes, saving £275 million per year.
Would you like to see the current maternity and paternity leave situation revamped? What do you wish would happen? Let us know below...
Discuss this story
staying at home means dads are more likely to read to the kids, random act thrown in there, and utter rubbish too, my uncle had 2days off when my cousin was born and hes always read a bedtime story to him, GIMMICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when roo was unemployed the healthy start scheme was invaluable to me, £36 everyother week for milk formular fruit/veg was fantastic it just about covered all we needed! and six months unpaid is hardly helpful seriously who could afford that??? and if im honest i coped far better when jack was born and andrew was back at work 2 weeks later than with lola where it as 4mnths later, i was too dependant on him and wed been lazy with routine.
Posted: 15/07/2009 17:06
Big fella at home 6 months-No Thanks!!!!!!!!! We'd have split up,then he couldn't read to them!!! What 'popycock'as Jo says!! If a dad wants to read to his children he will,regardless of paternity leave. Gimmicks? Oh right encouraging healthy eating for those not on top wages is a gimmick-yeah righto!!!! I'm sure employer supported chilcare schemes have helped many too-who does these reports-THE PEOPLE ABUSING CAR PARKING SPACES AND LIFTS NO DOUBT!!!
Posted: 15/07/2009 21:21
Have to say,I agree with you,Rachel.Six months is way too long,even if we could afford it,cos he wouldn't be on full pay,would he.Two weeks was enough.When I first came home from hospital,he was good,looking after the kids,looking after me.By the beginning of week 2 he was lying on the sofa,napping in the day,the kids routines were slipping.Two weeks is enough. As for "gimmicks" well them that call them gimmicks obviously have no need for them or they'd appreciate their value. What the  is a think tank?Do people really get paid to sit around and think up this rubbish
Posted: 15/07/2009 22:15
And yeah Jo,christ doesn't 2 weeks drag with bloke around!? Routine? Ian don't know what one of them is!!!!!!! Oh I thought he was a diamond coming up to the hozzy everyday(while ma looked after Tom) but minute we got in he could have gone back. He's been off today,lads haven't had their nap,I 've had no quiet pc time this avo,but lo and behold he's had a nap!!!!!! mmmm Get back to work I say!!!!!! When I had 2nd c-sec,got home 52hrs later,that night I did the ironing-so I didn't have to watch him napping and generally telling everyone on the phone how tired he was!!!!!! He's done that tonight-told his ma he's shattered he had Jc for 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes I wish I was a boy!!!!!
Posted: 16/07/2009 21:27
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