Why are we so behind other European countries when it comes to parental leave?
Eve McQuillan is a researcher and campaigner who works on issues ranging from International Affairs to Housing.
My favourite fact about the animal kingdom is that it is lionesses, not lions that are the primary hunters. So when it comes to Sunday’s game, I’m not surprised that it was the lionesses who, finally, brought football home. Lions might protect the territory of the pride (and have great hair), but it’s lionesses who hunt and care for the cubs.
What does this have to do with parental leave? Lionesses are so good at hunting because care within the pride is a shared endeavour. In Spain, they have a system where parents are better able to share care for babies. The UK, on the other hand, has the worst paternity leave offer in Europe.
Whilst Hannah Hampton might be able to teach the Spanish about saving penalties, Spain is beating the UK hands down when it comes to supporting new parents. The government’s consulting on changing our system of parental leave now. They’d promised to do so within the first year in office. When it comes to paternity leave, we should learn from the Spanish.
Should the Spanish players decide to start a family, both parents can expect 16 weeks full pay. For the father, or in a same-sex couple, the second parent, the first 6 weeks must be taken when the child’s born, the next 10 at any point within the child’s first year. The leave is non-transferrable – neither parent can pass on their leave to the other. As a result, almost all new parents take up their leave.
British paternity leave, also used by one parent in a same-sex couple, only offers 2 weeks off, paid at £187.18 per week. Little wonder that take up is low – around 25%.
David Cameron’s Shared Parental Leave model might sound good on paper, but in practice, it’s tricky to use. Only 3% of parents report splitting leave equally through this model.
Our failure to provide decent leave for fathers and second parents means that the responsibility for care falls disproportionately on mothers. It sets up a pattern in which one parent is the ‘primary parent’ that persists long after leave has ended. We see a clear ‘motherhood penalty’ – the Joseph Rowntree Foundation calculates an average pay penalty of £1,263 per month after one year, rising to £1,785 after six. Early evidence from Spain suggests care is more equitably shared following the introduction of equal parental leave in 2021.
According to the Dad Shift, the campaign for better paternity leave in the UK, countries with paternity leave of longer than 6 weeks have a 4% smaller gender pay gap, and a 3.7% smaller workforce participation gap. Dads have more opportunity to bond with their children, and as a result, children’s wellbeing and educational outcomes are improved. New mothers are better supported when recovering from birth and rates of postpartum depression are lower.
Assumptions around who cares ultimately harm all women, regardless of whether they intend to have children. The Young Women’s Trust found that 1 in 10 HR managers would avoid hiring women they thought would go on maternity leave. Increasing paternity leave lessens the incentive behind this discrimination.
There is one area that we’re beating the Spanish. Our maternity leave entitlements are far longer. In the UK, statutory maternity pay entitles a mother to 6 weeks at 90% of her average weekly pay, and then a further £187.18 a week for 33 weeks. 39 weeks paid leave, but most of it paid at 44% of the National Living Wage. Occupational top ups exist, but a 2019 government investigation found that only 13% of mothers received them.
Spain’s paternity leave is a model that the UK could implement. It would be good for women, good for men and good for families. With our birth-rate fast-falling, and cost-of-living ever rising, we need to look again to ensure that families receive adequate financial support. Even extending paternity leave to just 6 weeks at 90% of average weekly earnings has been calculated to add £2.68 billion to the economy because of women working more hours once care is more equally shared. Scandinavian countries might have the best model overall, but for a similar economy that’s made strides towards more equal parenting we should look to Spain.
We’ll celebrate the Lionesses for their dramatic Euros win (whilst waiting for that bank holiday), but let’s also question why we’re so behind other European countries when it comes to parental leave.
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