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It seems that employers, the Government and society are finally waking up to the fact that more needs to be done to support working mothers and fathers - but some haven't risen from their slumber just yet.
Last month the cross-party Women and Equalities Committee said the Government was stagnating when it came to enacting policy that promotes gender equality. Their reasoning for this accusation? The rejection of 17 proposals, including three months paid paternity leave.
The Committee’s Chair, Maria Miller, said: “Without effectively tackling the key issues . . . [such as] sharing unpaid caring responsibilities . . . the gender pay gap [and issues pertaining to it] will not be eliminated.
“It is deeply disappointing that our recommendations have not been taken on-board by Government.”
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Also, Millennial fathers would rather spend more time on child-rearing responsibilities than a stressful job. Despite this enthusiasm, it hasn’t translated to employers yet; according to the 2017 Modern Families Index, one-fifth of fathers said their employer expected no disruption to work when it came to childcare, while 44% admitted lying to their employer about family-related responsibilities that ‘get in the way’ of work.
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