Paternity Leave Reform Plans Considered by Government
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In March the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) published its paper on reforming workplace policies to support fathers balance their parental responsibilities and work – the take up (or lack of it) of shared paternity leave being the particular concern.
- The current legislative regime does not deliver, despite good intentions
- This is particularly the case for less well-off fathers
- The right to request flexible working has not created the necessary cultural change in the workplace
- The more recently introduced shared parental leave policy, intended to allow fathers to share care in their child’s first year, will not meet its objective for most fathers
- Although the Government has campaigned to promote shared parental leave, it has had limited effect
- Fathers who are employees should be entitled to paid time off to attend antenatal appointments as a day-one right
- Statutory paternity pay should be paid at 90 per cent of the father’s pay (capped for higher earners) to ensure that all fathers, regardless of income, can be at home around the time of their child’s birth
- The costs and benefits of introducing a new policy of 12 weeks’ dedicated leave for fathers in the child’s first year to replace shared parental leave when it reviews this policy in 2018
- Seeking to legislate immediately to make a reality the Prime Minister’s call for all jobs to be advertised as flexible from day one, unless there are solid business reasons not to
- Harmonise workplace rights for fathers who are agency workers or self-employed with those for employed fathers where practical
- The benefits of amending the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 to add an additional characteristic of ‘paternity’