The Guardian reports that research commissioned by the Government suggests that only 4% of new fathers will take up the offer of additional paid paternity leave, due to come into effect before the end of this Parliament:
In theory, 239,000 new fathers can take advantage of the move to spend up to six months on paternity leave. But figures drawn up by the Department of Trade and Industry show ministers expect only 10,000 men will benefit, because many are not entitled to leave or cannot afford to take more than the statutory two weeks around the birth.
The DTI's figures are not surprising since all the available research, and anecdotal evidence, suggests that working fathers tend to be unwilling to accept huge pay reductions in return for more time at home with their children. See for example, a recent report by NOP for the Equal Opportunities Commission: Dads and their babies: leave arrangements in the first year (PDF format, 2.4MB).
Which is not to say that they don't want to spend more time with their families. But, given the choice, working fathers tend to opt for family-friendly working patterns that do not involve a pay cut - such as flexible start and finish times, compressed working weeks and so on.
The Government's aim is to encourage fathers to share childcare in the early years without causing administrative and operational problems for employers. Offering fathers leave at the statutory maternity pay rate (just over £100 a week), and then only provided they have a working partner who has gone back to work, is very unlikely to advance us very far towards this goal.
In fact, the policy looks like it will achieve the very opposite: maximum administrative burden for employers with minimum beneficial effect on families and children. Nice one.
RELATED POSTS:
Additional paternity leave - what's the likely take-up?
IRS employment law update - the morning
|
| Permalink | Email this |
