“Two weeks isn’t enough”, says dad from Oxford campaigning for better paternity leave
A dad from Oxford says the UK has "the worst paternity leave in Europe"
New fathers in Oxfordshire say current paternity rights are outdated and need to be changed to support working families.
As it stands, employees are eligible for up to two weeks statutory paternity leave if they’ve worked for at least 26 weeks.
They are able to claim statutory pay of just over £187 a week. Although, there's no entitlement for anyone that’s self-employed.
The Dad Shift are calling on the government for change and will be campaigning outside Parliament later this week.
They’re calling for substantial, affordable and equal paternity leave, as well as the same rights for those who are self-employed people.
The Government says its “committed to carrying out a review of the parental leave system”.
Alex Lloyd Hunter, from Oxford is Co-founder of The Dad Shift and says the UK has "the worst paternity leave in Europe".
He also says it doesn’t give dads enough time off to support their partner and bond with their kids:
“For the mother, you are still recovering physically from birth in those few weeks and months, particularly if you have caesarean.
“You may not be able to hold the baby for those six weeks. You can't drive a car. You might not be able to lift the kettle, but for a lot of mothers, they're left alone after two weeks.”
He added: “In the short term, it means that dads don't get the time they need to bond with their baby.
“We hear all the time from fathers who their partner might have a complicated birth, and they'll spend 10 days in hospital. So, by the time they all get home together, they've only got a couple of days left and then they're back to work.
“So, they've had no time to bond their baby, get used to being a parent and that means over time that the mother becomes established as the primary caregiver by default.
“That's bad for both parts of the couple, and it can mean that fathers actually can never sometimes recover that relationship with their child.”
A spokesperson from the Department for Business and trade said: “Our Plan for Change is on the side of working parents, which is why we are making Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave day one rights under the Employment Rights Bill.
“We’re also committed to carrying out a review of the parental leave system to ensure it best supports working families.”