They say that reform is ‘long overdue’ so that mothers and fathers aren’t forced back to work too early and are able to share time equally with their child in their first year.
Research by Working Families has found that 4 in 10 mothers didn’t feel they took enough time off when their baby was born and 7 in 10 fathers who took less than two weeks’ leave were worried about money.
It found that 21 per cent of fathers and 14 per cent of mothers were not eligible for any parental leave.
An open letter to the minister for employment rights Justin Madders has been co-ordinated by Working Families and has been signed by 18 organisations.
They include the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, Coram Family and Childcare, Save the Children, the TUC, Pregnant Then Screwed, The Dad Shift and the Fatherhood Institute.
It welcomes the parental leave review promised by the government, but urges it to broaden the scope to include duration, statutory pay levels, eligibility criteria, and the capacity of employers to consider the needs of kinship carers and adoptive parents.
The letter states, ‘Our experience has led us to conclude that the current parental leave system – including maternity, paternity and Shared Parental Leave – is outdated, complex, and inaccessible to many. The review represents a vital opportunity to reappraise UK’s parental leave offer and lay the foundations for phased reforms that better meet the needs and aspirations of families, and brings the UK into line with comparable economies.’
The signatories stress that reform cannot happen in isolation and must align with wider changes to make childcare more affordable, flexible working more accessible, and health support for new families more inclusive.
Jane van Zyl, chief executive of Working Families, said, ‘A rethink of the statutory offering to new parents is long overdue to enable mothers and fathers to manage the transition once a baby arrives.
‘Shifting attitudes mean fathers want to play an active role and if we are to achieve gender equality, fathers need the chance to be involved from the get-go. Sadly, statutory rights have struggled to keep up with this change in attitudes. Reform is urgently needed so that families, particularly those without a financial safety net, aren’t forced back to work prematurely and have equal opportunities to spend time with their child in the first, crucial year.’
Meghan Meek-O'Connor, child poverty policy lead at Save the Children UK, said, ‘We must review parental leave in the UK, to unlock its potential to function as a critical tool in the fight to reduce child poverty. Reforms should at the very least include an increase to statutory leave and pay levels in line with the cost of living, otherwise leave isn't truly affordable for all families, on all incomes.
‘We'd also like to see these rights backed by a social security system that keeps pace with inflation or average earnings, whichever of the two is higher, and childcare that’s affordable and available to all. With all of these measures in place, children could benefit from a secure home environment in their earliest years and a reduction in poverty levels.’
The letter sets out nine key principles that should underpin future parental leave reform:
- Each parent should have an individual right to time off and pay, reserved just for them, which has been shown in other countries to reduce gender inequality.
- Maternity leave is important because mothers need to recover from childbirth and establish breastfeeding. Appropriate support for breastfeeding from employers should also be required.
- Leave for fathers or partners to care for their infant is important to lay the ground for fathers’ role in caring for children, and should be incentivised.
- The system must be simple and easy to understand for both parents and employers while enabling flexibility for parents, including some time off together if that’s what they want.
- Time off and pay should be available to all parents (including those classified as ‘workers’ and ‘self-employed’) as an individual right from day one.
- Statutory leave and pay levels should be substantially increased and kept in line with the cost of living, to ensure that taking leave is genuinely affordable for all families.
- The system should ensure that parents have the right to return to the same job after taking leave, and are protected by law from losing their job during leave or upon return due to discrimination.
- Future reform should not come at the expense of existing parental rights and entitlements.
- Parental leave and pay policies should work alongside a part-time and flexible by default UK labour market; a more affordable, available childcare system that ensures work pays from the day parents return to work; and a health system that recognises both parents’ unique roles and impacts.
Read the letter in full here
