A new study shows that fewer than 2% new dads benefitted from the shared parental leave program in the ten years since its introduction.
In a Freedom of Information Request to HM Revenue and Customs, the Dad Shift Campaign found that in the financial year 2023-24 only 10,600 fathers had taken shared parental leave. This figure has only increased by 400 since last year.
More than 623,000 women received statutory maternity leave, while 205,300 fathers took paternity leaves.
According to The Dad Shift, if we continue at the current rate of adoption, it will be 490 years before this policy is fully implemented. The campaign group’s poll showed that nearly nine out of 10 fathers wanted to be more involved in their children’s lives.
The group also claims that 60% of the shared parental leave benefits are taken by the highest earners. They describe this policy as “elitist” and “broken”.
According to the Labour MP Josh Simons’ response to a question in parliament, more SPL claims were made in London than Scotland and Wales combined.
Alex Lloyd Hunter, founder of The Dad Shift said that the UK had the worst paternity pay in Europe. It was just two weeks at less than half minimum wage.
Shared parental leave was supposed to change things. But guess what? A policy that pays almost no money, that is complex to administer and that requires men to take time away from their mothers didn’t really work.
The statutory SPL rate is PS184.03 per week, or 90% of the average weekly earnings – whichever is less. This amount will rise from PS184.03 a week to PS187.18 per week in April.
Eversheds Sutherland figures compiled earlier this year showed that in 2023-24 the total number SPL claims for men and women would reach 25,000, but this still represents a small proportion of eligible applicants.
George Gabriel, cofounder of The Dad Shift and a generous paternity package from his employer, took SPL along with a more generous leave package after the birth his daughter.
He said: “Getting some time off after my baby was born made a huge difference for me and my family. My wife’s recovery from her C section meant that I could be there for the first few months.
It meant that I was with my daughter through those horrible days and nights after she suffered a serious head injury. It was the perfect opportunity to start tackling one of the biggest challenges that a man will face: becoming a decent father.
Gabriel said that SPL pays fathers “virtually nothing” and fathers who are self-employed receive nothing.
Shared parental leave, a farce that only benefits those who are wealthy enough to afford it, is an absurdity. It’s clear that it doesn’t work and something has to be changed” – Kirith Entwistle, MP
The government has committed to complete an evaluation of parental leave including shared parental leaves within the first year it is in office.
He added, “Working Families deserve better, and this upcoming review is an opportunity for the Labour Party to show they are on the side of the people.”
Labour MP Kirithentwistle stated: “There are many mothers who need support right now, and fathers who can’t help but return to work.
“Shared parental leaves are a joke and are only for those who have the money to pay for them. It’s clear that it doesn’t work and that something must be changed. There’s an enormous amount of energy in Westminster with all the young parents and mums.
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