BBC
Josh Wiborg says two weeks off work after birth of twins 'isn't enough'
A decade after the introduction of a landmark program to help new parents share child care, activists say shared parental leave is failing the working families it was designed to serve.
As the sole breadwinner of his young family, 21-year-old Josh Wiborg was unable to take shared parental leave when his twin daughters were born.
Like so many fathers, he was only entitled to two weeks off work, at reduced pay.
He says it left him “feeling like an outsider” to his twin daughters, Autumn and Winter, during the first weeks of fatherhood.
“It was horrible,” he said. “My partner was having difficulties and so was I. It just wasn’t enough time.”
Introduced 10 years ago by the previous Conservative government, shared parental leave is a state-funded program that allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a child.
It was hoped that this would allow fathers to play a greater role in fatherhood.
But new analysis, seen exclusively by BBC News, shows this may not benefit all fathers equally.
Participation is heavily skewed towards higher paid employees, mainly based in London and the South East of England.
More than 5,000 high earners used shared parental leave last year
The figures, taken from a Freedom of Information request submitted by campaign group The Dad Shift, show that the richest 20% of earners account for 60% of those using shared parental leave.
Only 5% of those who took shared parental leave belonged to the poorest 50% of employees.
And since its introduction in 2014, the government has paid £40 million in shared parental leave to families in London, almost 10 times more than in the North East of England.
“As far as working families are concerned, it has completely failed,” says George Gabriel, co-founder of the campaign group.
“There is a big lack of awareness, there is a problem of complexity and there is a challenge because most men feel uncomfortable leaving the mother of their child.”
Less than 5% of all eligible fathers use shared parental leave.
Those who have used the program, however, are positive about its benefits.
Pete says he had some 'truly magical moments' with his son, Jay, on shared parental leave
Pete Target, from London, took nine weeks off work to look after his son, Jay, when the little boy was nine months old.
“It was everything I hoped for,” says Pete, 36.
“We are closer than we might have been otherwise.”
But he admits it was a “difficult financial decision”.
As his share of shared parental leave fell outside the 37-week window granted by the government, he was not paid for the time he took with his son.
He says “something needs to be improved” so that more fathers can benefit.
“I feel so lucky that we can afford the financial hit, (but) it has to be practically possible for most men to do it.
“We need men to feel like they can handle it.”
A 2023 government study suggests that almost half (45%) of all fathers were not even aware of this option.
As his wife was not working, Josh was not eligible for shared parental leave and was instead taking statutory paternity leave, the government-funded program that allows fathers or secondary care providers to take two weeks off after the birth of their baby.
Eligible people receive £184.03 per week or 90% of their average salary, whichever is lower.
This meant that Josh's income dropped immediately after the birth of his twins.
“I had to return to work (after two weeks) and leave my partner alone,” he says.
“I don’t know how we survived.”
The government has committed to reviewing parental leave during its first year in office.
He says he wants legal paternity leave to be a right from the start for all employees. Currently this applies to fathers who have been working for 26 weeks or more.
But even with these proposed changes, campaigners say the UK's parental leave system is one of the worst in Europe.
Father-of-two Blair McDougall is one of several Labor MPs backing The Dad Shift's campaign for more generous parental leave.
While saying the government is right to “keep an eye on economic reality”, it is in discussions with a group of Labor backbenchers to explore whether future changes can go even further than those already outlined.
“Society has evolved, but the rules regarding paternity have not,” he says.
“We need to update them to help fathers be the type of father most of us want to be.”
Some companies pay out of pocket to offer enhanced paternity leave and shared parental leave packages.
This may include more time off and increased pay up to full salary or a higher rate than the legal offer.
But The Dad Shift says taxpayers should fund “more substantial” parental leave, to ease the burden on businesses and ensure every parent can benefit.
Paul Bowen says most small businesses can't afford to give their employees enhanced parental leave
Paul Bowen, who employs around 30 people at his pie factory and store in Chorley, Lancashire, says the increase in national insurance contributions is the latest in a long line of budget cuts for small businesses like his.
“I would love to give our employees additional time off, but we just can’t afford it,” he says.
“If we can get help from the government, that’s where it should come from.”
“I understand the difficulties of other fathers”
Josh is now very involved in raising his twins, but he still remembers how “tough” those first few weeks were.
“We have to completely change the situation,” he says.
When he was struggling early in his fatherhood, he sought help from North East Young Dads and Lads (NEYDL).
He now works for the association as a “peer facilitator”, offering the same advice and support he received.
“I understand the struggles of other fathers,” he says.
“I know it’s stressful, so if I can help just one person, it’s definitely worth it.”
Additional reporting by George Walker.
