'Time for action' | Academics back dad protest calling for paternity leave reform

Academics from the University of Bath are standing in solidarity with The Dad Shift as they prepare to lead the world’s first Dad Strike on 11 June in London and Edinburgh. The protest, timed just ahead of Father’s Day, is a call to action for urgent reform of the UK’s paternity leave system.

New research by The Dad Shift and Shaun Davies MP has revealed that just 3% of the UK’s £3.3 billion parental leave investment supports fathers and non-birthing parents.

In support of this national call for change, University of Bath economists Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Dr Alistair Hunt will publish a new policy paper in June proposing costed reforms to the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) system. Their recommendations include:

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Six weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, paid at 90% of wages and six weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, at the statutory rate.

“The government’s Shared Parental Leave policy was well-intentioned, but it’s failed to deliver for fathers and families,” Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg said.