Campaign group The Dad Shift are picketing from 3-4.30pm on Wednesday 11 June outside the Department for Business and Trade for longer and better paid paternity leave.
The UK is described as having the worst paternity leave in Europe, with just two weeks off paid at less than half of the minimum wage and nothing for those who are self-employed.
The Dad Shift are campaigning for six weeks of paternity leave at 90% pay, but even this would be below the European average.
The Dad Shift co-founder Alex Lloyd said: 2Fathers and non-birthing parents aren’t as present as they want to be.
“We end up locked into the breadwinner role, and we miss out.”
In 2019, Spain reformed its paternity leave from something similar to the UK to one of the most generous in Europe.
Spain’s paternity leave offering now includes a mandatory 16 weeks, fully paid, with six weeks immediately post-birth and 10 weeks taken flexibly before the child’s first birthday.
Lloyd said: “Paternity leave has to be longer and better paid.
“It can’t just be one of those things, one of the problems at the movement is that it’s so poorly paid, about a third of people can’t afford to take anything, and that’s particularly the case if you are self-employed.”
The Labour government committed to a review of parental leave within their first year in government, and Lloyd is hopeful that this will take place this summer.
Lloyd said: “Ninety percent of dads agree that these days dads want to be a bigger part of their kids’ lives.
“The evidence is clearly there that there is widespread support for this.”
In September 2024, the group emphasised their campaign by dressing up London’s male statues with baby dolls and slings.
Everyone who supports better paternity leave is welcome at the family-friendly picket, where there will be children’s activities.
The Dad Shift said that they are not aiming to be disruptive, and those who want to attend are encouraged to take annual leave or discuss taking time off with employers.
More information can be found at the group’s website.
All images courtesy of Alex Lloyd.
