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Most working fathers are continuing to take less than two weeks off following the birth of their children, and the number of new fathers claiming paternity leave in the UK has fallen for the first time in five years, says new research published by EMW.
In figures obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), EMW highlights a 3.3% fall in the number of fathers who claimed statutory paternity pay (SPP) in the 12 months leading up to 31 March 2018, from 221,000 in 2016-17 to 213,500 in 2017-18, despite government initiatives to encourage more men to use their family-friendly rights.
In contrast, HMRC noted nearly three times more women took maternity leave than men and indicated a modest 0.3% increase of maternity leave claims compared to the previous year as 662,700 women went on maternity in 2017/18, while 661,000 did between 2016/17.
Experts warn issues around working culture could be to blame and have called on businesses to address ‘concerning’ trends in paternity leave uptake and address “the traditional views of men and their caring responsibilities in society” to encourage more new fathers to take advantage of their right to parental leave.
Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD said: “Organisations need to do more to communicate paternity leave and create a culture where it is seen as normal to take it – for example, by encouraging men in senior positions to lead by example and take their leave entitlement in full.”
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