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We might laugh at Adrian Mole’s hopeless crush on the unattainable Pandora or cringe at the chaotic antics of The Inbetweeners, but beneath the humour lies a stark truth - being a teenager is hard. The struggles of youth are timeless: first loves, shifting friendships, changing bodies, and, of course, the relentless pressure of exams like GCSEs and A-levels. But there’s a modern twist to this age-old story. A recent survey by MyEdSpace revealed that 70% of parents took time off work to help their children revise for GCSEs - proof that the "working parent" checklist now includes a new, unexpected task: exam support.
And with teenagers facing more challenges than ever - and parents now expected to provide even greater support - should we consider introducing ‘teen-ternity’ leave for working parents? After all, juggling careers while guiding teens through exams, social pressures, and emotional turbulence is an immense task - one that many are struggling to manage alone.
Statutory parental leave offers some allowances for teen parents but is it enough?
Sarah Jackman, employment law counsel at Dentons, says parental leave does already provide some rights. “Subject to certain conditions, employed parents – birth and adoptive and those who have or expect to have responsibility for a child – have a statutory right to take 'parental leave', which is unpaid time off work to look after children up to the age of 18, so in theory 'teen-ternity leave' could fall into this category.”
Of course, for most parents with mouths to feed and bills to pay – the prospect of not earning money is a laughable option – the majority just can’t afford to lose income. Jackman says on this point, “Some employers might offer pay for parental leave; however, employers are not obligated to pay their employees for this type of time off. It will be a consideration of a person's contractual or company policy entitlement rather than a statutory obligation. Therefore, parents should check their contract of employment and company policies to see if they are entitled to be paid.”
“This right entitles each parent to take up to 18 weeks parental leave per child. There are some limits on how this leave can be taken. For example, it must be taken before the child turns 18, it can only be used in weekly blocks and no more than four weeks can be taken per year, per child. In some circumstances, employers are also able to delay the taking of leave by parents for up to six months,” adds Jackman.
