Gender Disparity in Parental Leave
Stark gendered disparity in the allocation of parental responsibilities, linked to insufficient statutory paternity leave provisions.
105 items
2 sources
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Gender Disparity in Parental Leave has been flagged across 2 independent accountability sources:
104 committee recs
1 PHSO decision
This issue has been identified by multiple independent accountability bodies, suggesting it is a recurring concern.
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Committee Recommendations (104) — showing 50 strongest matches
#33 —
Recommendation: We recommend the GEO and EHRC explore the feasibility of reporting on parental leave policies in addition to gender gaps in furlough and redundancies for 2020/21 to supplement the information on pay and bonuses. We also urge the Government to …
Gov response: Considering. In July 2019 the Government consulted on proposals to require large employers to publish their parental leave and pay policies. The consultation received over 3,500 responses and we will publish the formal response to …
Not Addressed
#4 —
Recommendation: The proxy voting scheme for parental absence is a huge step forward for gender sensitivity in the House of Commons. We strongly welcome the scheme as a permanent feature of the package of support for parent MPs. However, we note …
No Published Response
#49 — Extend statutory parental bereavement leave and pay to employees experiencing pre-24-week pregnancy losses
Recommendation: recommendation We intend to table amendments to the Employment Rights Bill in the name of our Chair for consideration at Report stage. The amendments are set out in annex B of this report. They seek to extend the same entitlements …
Gov response: The report acknowledges the significant progress employers have made in recent years in recognising miscarriage as a form of bereavement. An increasing number of organisations are providing more flexible leave options, allowing employees to take …
Under Consideration
#48 — Substantial gaps in employer pregnancy loss provision necessitate a minimum legal standard for paid leave
Recommendation: conclusion While there have been incremental improvements in recent years, substantial gaps in employer-led provision remain. The case for a minimum standard in law is overwhelming. A period of paid bereavement leave should be available to all women and partners …
Gov response: The Government recognises that for many women the period of bereavement after miscarriage is not sick leave and that its classification as that can be seen as insensitive. However, for those who are unwell due …
Not Accepted
#47 — Promote benefits of generous pre-24-week pregnancy loss leave policies and strengthen awareness guidance
Recommendation: recommendation There has been good progress among employers in recent years in acknowledging miscarriage as a bereavement. An increasing number are establishing excellent pregnancy loss policies, including generous and flexible periods of paid leave for women and partners. The benefits, …
Gov response: This Government recognises that experiencing a miscarriage or pregnancy loss can be an extremely difficult time and we are determined to make sure all families receive safe, personalised and compassionate care. We acknowledge that more …
Accepted
#11 — Amend Employment Rights Bill to align Maternity Allowance with Statutory Maternity Pay.
Recommendation: The Employment Rights Bill should be amended to bring Maternity Allowance into line with Statutory Maternity Pay. This would remove the inherent unfairness that means that, during maternity leave, women in employment can undertake unlimited self-employed work but restricts the …
Gov response: The Government wants new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth, in the interests of their own and their …
Not Addressed
#23 — Publish transparent data on gender equality outcomes and parental leave take-up by gender
Recommendation: The Government’s review should have gender equality at its heart. Countries which provide a substantial period of well-paid leave for fathers and other parents have on average a four-percentage point smaller gender pay gap than those that allow less than …
Gov response: The government recognises the unique opportunity of the parental leave and pay review to reset our approach to parental leave and pay. Parental leave and pay play an important role in helping working parents to …
Not Addressed
#21 — Commit to meaningful reforms of the parental leave system in the medium term
Recommendation: The Government has said the parental leave system is broken and promised to launch a “full review”. It is clear that the system has some fundamental failings, including low statutory pay across the board; inadequate leave periods for fathers and …
Gov response: The government recognises that the current system does not support working families as well as it could, as the system of existing parental leave and pay entitlements has grown incrementally over time creating a complex …
Not Addressed
#19 — Address inequality for single parent families by allowing reallocation of co-parent leave entitlements.
Recommendation: In reforming the parental leave system, the Government must address inequality for single parent families. Unlike in many developed countries, single parents do not receive any portion of the paid leave that would be available to the household if they …
Gov response: We thank the committee for highlighting that there are groups of parents who face challenges that are not currently reflected in, or supported by, the parental leave system. The parental leave and pay review will …
Not Addressed
#18 — Include kinship carers within the statutory paid parental leave system, considering costs and benefits.
Recommendation: The Government’s review must include consideration of the needs of kinship carers, with a view to including them in the paid parental leave system. This should include consideration of the costs and wider benefits of implementing statutory paid leave for …
Gov response: The government recognises the unique opportunity of the parental leave and pay review to reset our approach to parental leave and pay. Parental leave and pay play an important role in helping working parents to …
Under Consideration
#15 — Simplify or remove Shared Parental Leave's complex eligibility criteria to widen access.
Recommendation: The Government must consider steps to address flaws in SPL, increase take up and widen access. The Government’s review must examine the function and necessity of SPL’s complex eligibility criteria, with a view to simplifying or removing the employment status, …
Gov response: Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015 to allow families to more equally split childcare and allow fathers to spend a significant period of time with their child should the family wish. The Shared Parental …
Partially Accepted
#14 — Shared Parental Leave benefits are outweighed by complex eligibility criteria and low take-up.
Recommendation: Shared Parental Leave (SPL) has clear benefits for couples who are able to access it. SPL enables a range of flexible options in how parents share their parental responsibilities and balance these with working life. It is the only aspect …
Gov response: Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015 to allow families to more equally split childcare and allow fathers to spend a significant period of time with their child should the family wish. The Shared Parental …
Not Addressed
#11 — Reduce cultural and societal barriers preventing fathers, especially working-class, from taking parental leave.
Recommendation: Alongside reforms of statutory paternity pay and leave entitlements, the Government’s review must consider steps it can take to reduce wider cultural and societal barriers to fathers taking more leave. It should in particularly consider steps to reduce cultural barriers …
Gov response: We recognise the important role a father plays in the early stages of a child’s life, and the fact that many fathers and partners do not currently feel able to take the leave they are …
Accepted
#10 — Services for new parents remain highly gendered, often marginalising men's caring roles.
Recommendation: The design and staffing of services for new parents caring for babies is highly gendered and can exclude or marginalise men, compounding cultural barriers to them taking a greater role in caring for their children. (Conclusion, Paragraph 69)
Gov response: The government values the important role fathers and partners play in both caring for their children and supporting the mother after having a child. We recognise that parental leave and pay entitlements, such as Paternity …
Accepted
#9 — Lower income fathers face additional cultural barriers to taking parental leave
Recommendation: While there is evidence of appetite for more leave among fathers across occupational and income groups, fathers in lower income and working-class occupational groups may face additional cultural barriers to taking leave. These households and communities are more likely to …
Gov response: the government recognises that take up and awareness of Shared Parental Leave among employees is low and welcomes the committee’s specific recommendations in relation to Shared Parental Leave. Along with all other existing parental leave …
Under Consideration
#8 — Introduce a Paternity Allowance equivalent to Maternity Allowance for self-employed fathers
Recommendation: Lack of provision for self-employed parents, particularly fathers and other parents, is a key flaw in the system. Given the substantial economic contribution of self-employed fathers, it is grossly unfair to exclude them. Lack of provision causes financial hardship and …
Gov response: As part of its review, the Government should consider the evidence on the effectiveness of initiatives such as A Better Start partnerships in supporting men to take a greater caring role. It should consider the …
Under Consideration
#7 — Increase paid statutory paternity leave to six weeks and assess making a portion compulsory
Recommendation: The Government’s review must consider a feasible plan to incrementally increase the period of paid paternity leave, drawing on lessons from recent reform programmes overseas, for example in Spain. As an initial medium- term objective, it should set out a …
Gov response: We recognise the important role a father plays in the early stages of a child’s life, and the fact that many fathers and partners do not currently feel able to take the leave they are …
Under Consideration
#6 — Prioritise extending statutory paternity leave to address gender disparity in parental responsibilities
Recommendation: There is very strong evidence from around the world and from UK employers’ gender equal schemes that providing fathers and other parents with an extended period of sustainably paid statutory leave typically transforms take up. Extending paternity leave therefore has …
Gov response: The government has noted the concerns the committee has raised about women receiving Maternity Allowance, including the concerns raised in your report on misogyny in music, on their ability to undertake freelance work. We have …
Under Consideration
#5 — UK paternity leave is inadequate, entrenching gender stereotypes and harming families
Recommendation: Since introducing up to two weeks of paid statutory paternity leave over 20 years ago, the UK has fallen far behind many comparable countries. We now have one of the worst leave offers in the developed world for fathers and …
Gov response: The government recognises that more can be done to support working families and facilitate the best start in life for babies and young children. We know that the system needs to reflect the required flexibility …
Not Addressed
#4 — Legislate for a day one right to paid paternity leave in the Employment Rights Bill
Recommendation: A key objective of reform of the paid parental leave system should be to promote equality. Maternity and paternity rights should be as equal as possible, to benefit mothers, fathers and families. We therefore welcome the Government’s intention to legislate …
Gov response: The government recognises the importance of equality in parenting, and this is reflected in the terms of reference for the parental leave and pay review. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid …
Partially Accepted
#3 — Introduce phased increases to statutory parental pay, reaching 80% of average earnings
Recommendation: In the longer term, the Government must also consider a feasible approach to phased introduction of increases to statutory pay across the system, to bring rates for all working parents up to a very substantial proportion (80% or more) of …
Gov response: The government recognises the importance of equality in parenting, and this is reflected in the terms of reference for the parental leave and pay review. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid …
Under Consideration
#2 — Raise statutory paternity pay to 90% of average earnings for first six weeks
Recommendation: A key aim of the Government’s review of the parental leave system must be to incentivise greater gender equality in parenting responsibilities. Increasing statutory paternity pay is a vital part of achieving this. As a priority, the Government must consider …
Gov response: The government understands the importance of both parents being able to take time away from work to care for their new baby. We recognise the parental leave and pay system can do more to better …
Not Addressed
#1 — UK statutory parental pay rates are inadequate, causing hardship and hindering take-up
Recommendation: The UK’s rate of statutory parental pay is completely out of kilter with the cost of living. At considerably less than half of the National Living Wage and real Living Wage, it has not kept pace with inflation and is …
Gov response: The government understands the importance of both parents being able to take time away from work to care for their new baby. We recognise the parental leave and pay system can do more to better …
Not Addressed
#33 — Reform to paternity and shared parental leave schemes is long overdue.
Recommendation: We reiterate the conclusions from our report on paternity and shared parental leave. Improved paternity leave and pay and reform to the shared parental scheme is long overdue and would directly benefit female entrepreneurs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 129)
Gov response: This Government knows that the parental leave system needs improvement. In the Plan to Make Work Pay we committed to a review of the parental leave system. This review launched on 1 July and will …
Not Addressed
#32 — Reclassify Maternity Allowance as earned income for Universal Credit to support self-employed women.
Recommendation: The Department for Work and Pensions should review funding for Universal Credit and reclassify Maternity Allowance so that it is not treated as “unearned income” for the purposes of Universal Credit, so that when self-employed women access it, their Universal …
Gov response: Universal Credit is a means-tested system of support, and where an individual claims Universal Credit, their award is adjusted to take account of other financial support that the customer is receiving – including earnings, other …
Not Addressed
#31 — Increase Maternity Allowance for self-employed mothers and permit more Keeping In Touch days.
Recommendation: We acknowledge the Government’s desire to protect a mother’s time with her baby. As such, we recommend that Maternity Allowance is increased for self-employed mothers in the first six weeks to bring it closer in line with Statutory Maternity Pay. …
Gov response: We know that the arrival of a child whether through birth or adoption, is a transformative time in a family’s life. We also know the current system could be improved to better support working families. …
Not Addressed
#30 — Review maternity legislation for self-employed women and tailor policies to support entrepreneurial aspirations.
Recommendation: Self-employed women (and those employed via their small business) are poorly served by the UK’s parental leave arrangements. As part of its Parental Leave and Pay Review, the Government should review legislation 57 pertaining to maternity through the lens of …
Gov response: We know that the arrival of a child whether through birth or adoption, is a transformative time in a family’s life. We also know the current system could be improved to better support working families. …
Accepted
#5 —
Recommendation: Like the House of Commons’ proxy voting for parental absence scheme, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s (IPSA) new MP parental leave cover fund is a major step forward. It is an important part of a raft of measures in recent …
No Published Response
#7 —
Recommendation: In addition to the immediate financial consequences for pregnant women of being put on Statutory Sick Pay or unpaid leave—often when they should have been suspended on full pay—in many cases the loss of income that results can also mean …
Gov response: The Government has made changes to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) which help support new parents who are self-employed. These changes benefit self-employed parents who were previously ineligible for SEISS because they had not …
Not Accepted
#4 —
Recommendation: The Government has suggested that women can be furloughed as a means of extending their maternity leave and delaying their return to work. However, access to the scheme is reliant on employers’ consent, rather than parents having a right to …
Gov response: It is essential that employers take appropriate steps to ensure their workplace is safe for everyone who works for them, including understanding and fulfilling their obligations towards pregnant women in their workforce. While, Covid-19 has …
Under Consideration
#1 —
Recommendation: The Government’s response has argued that the UK’s maternity leave offer is already amongst the most generous in the world. Although up to 52 weeks leave is generous compared to other countries, the amount of maternity pay is not the …
Gov response: We agree that having access to data, including data on the uptake of parental leave and pay, is important in considering any future reforms and to better understand the impact of our current policies. Her …
Under Consideration
#19 — Establish a permanent working group on best practice in pregnancy and maternity policy in sport.
Recommendation: We recommend the DCMS, UK Sport, Sport England and the sports’ national governing bodies establish a permanent working group on best practice in pregnancy and maternity policy, including maternity leave and pay and wider policies to support pregnant sportswomen and …
Gov response: The Government partially accepts this recommendation. An individual’s employment rights are determined by their employment status, not the type of employment contract they have, or the type of work they do. Employment status is based …
Partially Accepted
#18 — Urge Government to actively support best practices for pregnancy and maternity in sport.
Recommendation: A long-overdue culture change is taking shape in sport around pregnancy and maternity. While policies and practices being adopted in funded Olympic and Paralympic sports and, to a lesser extent, in some professional women’s sports are welcome, there is still …
Gov response: The Government partially accepts this recommendation. An individual’s employment rights are determined by their employment status, not the type of employment contract they have, or the type of work they do. Employment status is based …
Partially Accepted
#23 — Introduce legislation to mandate salary bands on job adverts and ban salary history requests
Recommendation: While we recognise the Government’s plans for a pay transparency pilot as a first step to exploring these issues, we are concerned by the lack of progress since the pilot was announced two years ago. Given the very clear case …
Gov response: We do not believe that moving directly to legislation is appropriate at this time as it would not give organisations sufficient time to work through historic pay arrangements in a way that is fair for …
Not Accepted
#22 — Lack of pay transparency exacerbates and perpetuates gender pay gaps
Recommendation: We have heard compelling evidence that a lack of pay transparency, particularly at the recruitment stage, exacerbates and perpetuates gender pay gaps. It is vital that employees are paid based on their experience, skills and value to an organisation, rather …
Gov response: We do not believe that moving directly to legislation is appropriate at this time as it would not give organisations sufficient time to work through historic pay arrangements in a way that is fair for …
Not Accepted
#19 — Gender pay gap reporting fails to incentivise action for reducing large pay gaps.
Recommendation: Gender pay gap reporting has increased transparency around pay gaps, but it has not incentivised firms to take action to reduce pay gaps in the way that had been hoped and we are concerned by the evidence we heard that …
Gov response: We agree with the Committee that reporting alone will not reduce the gender pay gap and that employers need to take action; however, in line with the conclusions of the post-implementation review of the reporting …
Not Accepted
#17 — Financial services sector has the UK's largest and slowest-closing gender pay gap.
Recommendation: The financial services sector is well paid compared to many other industries, but it has the largest gender pay gap of any sector in the UK economy and that pay gap is reducing at such a glacial pace that it …
Gov response: We agree with the Committee that reporting alone will not reduce the gender pay gap and that employers need to take action; however, in line with the conclusions of the post-implementation review of the reporting …
Not Accepted
#10 — Encourage financial firms to equalise parental leave and publish policies, boosting uptake by men.
Recommendation: We recommend that the Government and regulators encourage all firms to consider equalising their offer of parental leave for men and women, and to actively encourage more men to take it up. We also recommend that the Government and regulators …
Gov response: (1) The Government recognises that fathers and partners play a crucial role in the first year of their child’s life, through supporting the mother as well as caring for and developing a relationship with their …
Not Accepted
#9 — Maternity leave and childcare responsibilities remain significant barriers for women in finance.
Recommendation: It is clear that maternity remains a significant barrier to women in financial services, with too many women leaving the industry after having children. We have heard that increased availability and take-up of paternity leave and shared parental leave by …
Gov response: **HM Treasury Response:** The Government recognises that fathers and partners play a crucial role and the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families much more choice and flexibility. The number of parents taking …
Not Accepted
#17 — Consider financial incentives, like overseas 'bonuses', to increase Shared Parental Leave take-up.
Recommendation: The Government’s review must consider financial incentives to increase take up of SPL. The review should examine approaches taken in overseas systems, including the German “partnership bonus” and Portugal’s “sharing 59 bonus”, which provide additional paid leave to couples in …
Gov response: The government recognises the important contribution that organisations like the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and other groups are making to the conversation around parental leave. Government officials have spoken to JRF and continue to work …
Under Consideration
#16 — Reduce notice periods for Shared Parental Leave to maximise flexibility within the scheme.
Recommendation: The Government’s review should examine barriers to flexibility in the SPL scheme, including the requirement for employees to give employers eight weeks’ notice of blocks of leave and changes to start and end dates for leave. This should be with …
Gov response: The government recognises that the current system does not support working families as well as it could, as the system of existing parental leave and pay entitlements has grown incrementally over time creating a complex …
Under Consideration
#13 — Review adequacy of legal protections against paternity discrimination and raise awareness of rights.
Recommendation: In implementing reforms that work towards a more gender equal parental leave system, the Government must consider the potential impacts on employment discrimination against fathers and other parents. The Government’s review must consider the adequacy of legal protections against paternity …
Gov response: We recognise that kinship carers provide a crucial role in society and need support, which is why the parental leave and pay review will consider whether support available meets the needs of working families who …
Under Consideration
#12 — Evaluate effectiveness of local initiatives and commission schemes supporting fathers' caring roles nationwide.
Recommendation: There have been recent local initiatives, for example in Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham and Southend, in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau’s A Better Start campaign, designed to support fathers to play a more equal role in parenting. This has …
Gov response: The government values the important role fathers and partners play in both caring for their children and supporting the mother after having a child. We recognise that parental leave and pay entitlements, such as Paternity …
Partially Accepted
#37 — Review adequacy of childcare support for self-employed mothers, including tax deductibility and flexibility.
Recommendation: The Government should undertake a review of the adequacy of existing childcare support for self-employed mothers. That review should consider: the potential merits of making childcare a tax-deductible expense, if only 58 for an initial period; expanding free hours of …
Gov response: As set out in the Budget, the Department for Education will lead a review of childcare provision. The purpose of this review is to simplify the system for providers and families, making it easier to …
Partially Accepted
#36 — Childcare availability and affordability are crucial for increasing female entrepreneurship rates.
Recommendation: The availability and affordability of childcare must be addressed to increase entrepreneurship rates among women. Making childcare more easily available and affordable would benefit the founding, performance and persistence of female-led businesses, while being vital for reconciling work and family …
Gov response: As set out in the Budget, the Department for Education will lead a review of childcare provision. The purpose of this review is to simplify the system for providers and families, making it easier to …
Not Addressed
#32 —
Recommendation: We recommend that gender pay gap reporting be urgently reinstated, with reporting for the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21 required in April 2021.
Gov response: Partially accept. The legal requirement for relevant organisations to publish gender pay gap data each year is set out in The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. This requirement has never changed, …
Not Addressed
#31 —
Recommendation: We were disappointed that the Government chose to suspend, rather than delay, gender pay gap reporting and enforcement for this year. Given the high number of women who have been furloughed or worked reduced hours due to caring responsibilities, and …
Gov response: Due to the unprecedented circumstances currently facing employers, the EHRC announced that employers will have until 5 October 2021 to report their gender pay gap information. The changes for the 2020/21 reporting year gives those …
Not Addressed
#8 —
Recommendation: Publication of MPs’ staffing and business costs incurred in relation to parental leave and other costs associated with having dependent children make parent MPs look “more expensive” than those without children. This could be perceived negatively by the public and …
No Published Response
#6 —
Recommendation: We welcome the recent extension of the extended leave fund to cover a greater range of MPs’ absences from Westminster, including for ill health and wider caring responsibilities. We also welcome the establishment of a new working group in IPSA …
No Published Response
#1 —
Recommendation: The current law applicable to cohabitants on relationship breakdown can be costly, complicated and unfair. Complex property law and trusts principles often require the financially weaker partner—often women—to demonstrate direct financial contributions to the acquisition of the family home, while …
Gov response: We partially accept this recommendation. The Government agrees that it is important that people are aware of the legal distinctions between getting married, forming a civil partnership and living together as cohabitants. The Government further …
Partially Accepted