The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) is today (Friday, 6
December) launching a call for written evidence on statutory
paternity and shared parental leave to examine options for
reform.
MPs on the cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP , are seeking views on the
schemes, via WEC's inquiry page and
through a survey, to help inform their
work ahead of the Government's proposed review of the parental
leave system. The call for evidence forms part of WEC's umbrella
inquiry into Equality at work.
The Government has set out measures in the Employment Rights Bill
to enhance family-friendly rights at work but has stopped short
of fundamental changes to maternity, paternity, and shared
parental leave and pay.
Instead, it has acknowledged that “the current parental leave
system does not support working parents” and has committed to
conduct a “full review” as the first stage of longer-term reform.
Unequal division of childcaring responsibilities is a key driver
of wider gender inequality and the gender pay gap.
Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) Chair MP said: “It's
vital that new parents have a shared parental leave system that's
navigable and works for them and their
families.
“Through this call for evidence, WEC aims to identify the
most effective ways of incentivising more equal sharing of
childcare and wider domestic responsibilities between mothers and
their partners and to positively influence the Government's
review.
“The Committee would like to hear people's experiences and
views to help inform its work. For example, on how
inequalities in take up of shared parental leave, including by
ethnicity, income, qualification level and occupational status,
could be addressed.”
The Committee invites written submissions via the inquiry website
addressing one or more of the following terms of reference by
Friday 31 January 2025:
- To what extent has the statutory
shared parental leave scheme given parents (including different
sex and same sex parents, adoptive parents, and parents through
surrogacy) choice and flexibility in how they share parenting
responsibilities in the first year?
- What have been the longer-term
equality impacts of the scheme, for example on equal sharing of
responsibilities for children as they grow up, and wider domestic
responsibilities?
- What have been the labour market
impacts of the scheme, particularly for women?
- Why has take up of statutory shared
parental leave been low and what could be done to increase take
up?
- How can inequalities in take up of
shared parental leave, including by ethnicity, income,
qualification level and occupational status, be addressed?
- Are there potentially more
effective alternatives to the current "maternal transfer" model
of shared parental leave?
- Which countries have most
effectively incentivised equal parenting and wider gender
equality through their approaches to parental leave? What would
be the costs and benefits of replicating these approaches in the
UK?
ENDS
Notes to editors
Mothers have a day one right to statutory maternity leave of up
to 52 weeks, and after 26 weeks service with an employer are
eligible for six weeks statutory maternity pay at 90% of earnings
(with no maximum), followed by 33 weeks at £184.03 per week or
90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).
Statutory paternity leave is currently available after 26 weeks'
service with an employer (if enacted, the Employment Rights Bill
would change this to a day one right). Statutory paternity leave
is either one or two weeks, at the parent's choice. Two weeks'
leave can be taken in a single block or in two separate weeks
within a year of the child's birth. Statutory paternity pay is
£184.03, or 90% average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).
Shared parental leave (SPL) and pay were introduced from April
2015. The scheme allows parents to “share” up to 50 weeks of
leave and 37 weeks of pay within the first year of the child's
birth. The scheme requires mothers to give up a portion of their
maternity entitlements to “share” the remainder with her partner.
This is known as a “maternal transfer” scheme. Statutory shared
parental pay is £184.03, or 90% average weekly earnings
(whichever is lower).
