Take up of Shared Parental Leave is as low as 3%. Many dads say there's a stigma attached to being a stay-at-home parent.
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Just 3% of eligible couples in the UK have taken Shared Parental Leave this year.
That’s according to new data obtained from HMRC by City Radio under the Freedom of Information Act.
Out of the 285,000 couples eligible to take it, only 9,800 have taken it between March 2018 and January 2019. Those are the latest figures, up by just 600 couples from the year before.
Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015, but take up has only grown by 600 couples since last 2017/2019.
Why don’t couples take Shared Parental Leave?
Couples can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay. The statutory Shared Parental Pay stands at £148 a week or 90% of earnings – whichever amounts to lower.
But, for many new parents who rely on one income more than the other, it’s not financially viable for the ‘breadwinner’ partner to take time off.
It also depends on the employer. One of the world’s largest insurance companies, Aviva, has introduced Shared Parental Pay for employees at 100% of their wage.
Only some couples are eligible. If you’re self-employed, or have only been working somewhere for less than a year, that rules you out.
What can be done to encourage equal parenting?
Former minister for loneliness, Tracey Crouch MP, told City News:
“Society needs to change its attitudes towards fathers. Recognise that there is equal parenting and we shouldn’t consider a father a bit role or just a part of bringing up a child.
Father’s take their role and responsibility seriously and don’t see themselves as a babysitter when mum is busy doing something else.”
Tracey Crouch led a debate on fatherhood and loneliness in parliament, calling for increased support and awareness about the role of dads. She outlined how 69% of new fathers feel like a ‘spare part’.
One recommendation was a Dad App that opens up a space to talk and connect with other fathers.
“We need to have the technology in place to support fathers so they can look to see if there are other fathers on shared parental leave that they can go have a coffee with.
“So I think there’s a lot of things that we ought to do – small changes that will make the world of difference to stay at home dads.”
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Standfirst
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HeadlineEXCLUSIVE: Take up of Shared Parental Leave as low as 3%
Short HeadlineShared Parental Leave not 'financially viable'
StandfirstThe latest FOI figures obtained by City Radio show Shared Parental Leave is still inaccessible to many new parents.
Just 3% of eligible couples in the UK have taken Shared Parental Leave this year.
That’s according to new data obtained from HMRC by City Radio under the Freedom of Information Act.
Out of the 285,000 couples eligible to take it, only 9,800 have taken it between March 2018 and January 2019. Those are the latest figures, up by just 600 couples from the year before.
Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015, but take up has only grown by 600 couples since last 2017/2019.
Why don’t couples take Shared Parental Leave?
Couples can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay. The statutory Shared Parental Pay stands at £148 a week or 90% of earnings – whichever amounts to lower.
But, for many new parents who rely on one income more than the other, it’s not financially viable for the ‘breadwinner’ partner to take time off.
It also depends on the employer. One of the world’s largest insurance companies, Aviva, has introduced Shared Parental Pay for employees at 100% of their wage.
Only some couples are eligible. If you’re self-employed, or have only been working somewhere for less than a year, that rules you out.
What can be done to encourage equal parenting?
Former minister for loneliness, Tracey Crouch MP, told City News:
“Society needs to change its attitudes towards fathers. Recognise that there is equal parenting and we shouldn’t consider a father a bit role or just a part of bringing up a child.
Father’s take their role and responsibility seriously and don’t see themselves as a babysitter when mum is busy doing something else.”
Tracey Crouch led a debate on fatherhood and loneliness in parliament, calling for increased support and awareness about the role of dads. She outlined how 69% of new fathers feel like a ‘spare part’.
One recommendation was a Dad App that opens up a space to talk and connect with other fathers.
“We need to have the technology in place to support fathers so they can look to see if there are other fathers on shared parental leave that they can go have a coffee with.
“So I think there’s a lot of things that we ought to do – small changes that will make the world of difference to stay at home dads.”
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