The UK government has announced a comprehensive review of the country’s parental leave system. They call it a “landmark” opportunity to modernize support for new parents. Ministers say the current framework covering maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave has been “overlooked for years.” It fails to meet the needs of modern families.
Campaigners have welcomed the move. The Dad Shift described it as the “best chance in a generation” to fix a system. It was recently branded “one of the worst in the developed world” by a cross-party committee of MPs. The Women and Equalities Committee warned in June that the UK’s parental leave system suffers from “fundamental flaws.” It requires bold reform.
Therefore, under existing rules, statutory maternity leave allows up to 52 weeks off, with pay for 39 weeks. However, many low-earning and self-employed parents miss out. Paternity leave, introduced in 2003, offers just two weeks at £187.18 per week (or 90% of earnings if lower). This amount is less than half the National Living Wage. Shared parental leave, introduced in 2014, has seen extremely low uptake. One in three fathers skips paternity leave due to financial strain.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds admitted the parental leave system hasn’t had a “serious look” in decades. “Businesses and parents alike are telling us the system isn’t working,” he said. “Now is the time to change that.”
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith warned that piling extra costs onto employers could lead to job losses. “If you’ve no job in the first place, it doesn’t matter how much family leave you get,” he argued.
However, campaigners insist reform is overdue. George Gabriel of The Dad Shift called current paternity leave policies unchanged for 21 years—the “least generous in Europe.” Rachel Grocott of Pregnant Then Screwed said improving leave would help close the gender pay gap. It would also give children a better start. “Investing in this is a no-brainer,” she said.
With the UK lagging behind much of Europe, the government faces pressure to deliver meaningful upgrades to the parental leave system. The review’s findings, expected in the coming months, could reshape family support for a new generation.
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