The UK’s statutory paid paternity leave offer is among the worst in Europe.
Statutory paternity policy in the UK – except for Northern Ireland, where there are different rules – is that dads are entitled to one or two weeks of statutory paternity leave. Statutory paternity pay is £184.03, or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. For a 35-hour working week, that’s an hourly wage of £5.26 per hour. Some can’t even take their one or two weeks of paternity pay, simply because they cannot afford to.
Only offering two weeks of paternity leave suggests that childcare is the role of mums, and not dads.
This is an issue for mothers, and we see that the point at which the gender pay gap really kicks in for women is when they have their first child. This is known as the motherhood penalty. It’s also a problem for dads, who may feel forced back to work, taking them away from the opportunity to bond with their little one. This statutory process reinforces gender stereotypes – mum looks after the children, and becomes the “default” parent, and dad goes to work.
