'Major gap' | 6 weeks' paternity leave for working dads could create £3bn in benefits to UK

Introducing a new six-week paternity allowance to support self‑employed and ‘worker’ fathers would generate a series of benefits worth nearly £3 billion per year to the UK, research has found.

The proposal, published today in a new Institute for Policy Research (IPR) policy brief, argues that providing paid leave for self-employed and worker fathers – including contractors or those in gig-economy roles – at the Statutory Paternity Pay rate (£187.18 per week) would deliver significant economic and wellbeing benefits for families and for UK society as a whole.

The analysis finds that introducing a Paternity Allowance could generate a net societal benefit of nearly £3 billion per year under the most likely take‑up scenario. This includes gains from improved parental wellbeing, increased labour market participation among mothers, and reduced rates of separation and divorce.

UK 'lagging behind' on paternity leave, Doctor warns

Under current UK rules, fathers must be employees who have worked continuously for 41 weeks and earn at least £125 per week to qualify for Statutory Paternity Pay. As a result, around 22% of new fathers, many of them self‑employed or in insecure work, receive no financial support when taking time off after the birth or adoption of a child.