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Campaigners Call for Urgent Overhaul of Parental Leave in the UK
Maternity leave
A parent has the right to up to 52 weeks' maternity leave if they are having a baby and are legally classed as an employee. They have this right from their first day of starting a job. By law, they must take at least 2 weeks off after their baby is born (4 weeks if they work in a factory). After this, how many of the 52 weeks they take is up to them.
Shared parental leave
If a parent has a partner, they might be able to use shared parental leave. This means they would end their maternity leave early and what's left of their entitlement can be used more flexibly between them and their partner.
Shared parental leave gives more choice in how two parents can care for their child. Eligible parents who are sharing responsibility for a child can get shared parental leave in the first year after:
- the birth of their child
- adopting a child
- getting a parental order if they had the child through surrogacy
Eligible parents can get up to 50 weeks of shared parental leave. How much shared parental leave eligible parents get depends on how much:
- maternity leave the birth parent has taken
- adoption leave the primary adopter has taken
The birth parent or primary adopter can take up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity or adoption leave. They must take a minimum of 2 weeks' leave after the birth or adoption. After this they can end their leave so the remaining can be shared between the 2 parents. This leaves up to 50 weeks of leave to be shared.
Ordinary parental leave
Parents in the UK are entitled to unpaid time off work to care for their children under a scheme known as ordinary parental leave, or unpaid parental leave. This is separate from other types of leave such as maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and statutory holiday leave.
While ordinary parental leave is typically unpaid, some employers may choose to offer pay. Any such arrangement should be clearly stated in the employee’s contract.
Parents may take unpaid leave for a variety of reasons, including:
- Caring for their child when regular childcare is unavailable and the leave can be planned in advance
- Spending extra time with their child
- Looking after them during school holidays
- Caring for them when they are off school due to illness
- Attending school events or open days
- Helping them settle into new childcare arrangements
- Travelling to visit grandparents or other relatives
To qualify for parental leave, a parent must:
- Be legally classed as an employee
- Have worked for their employer for at least one year
- Have parental responsibility for the child
Employers cannot deny or cancel a request for parental leave outright, but they may postpone it if it would cause significant disruption to the business—for instance, during a particularly busy period. It is against the law to dismiss or penalise an employee for requesting or taking parental leave.
Widespread Calls for Parental Leave Reform
A coalition of academics, charities, and trade unions is now urging the government to launch a wide-ranging review of parental leave. This would include maternity, paternity, and shared leave, along with how time off and pay are structured.
In an open letter addressed to Employment Minister Justin Madders (dated 2 May 2025) 15 academics and 18 organisations—co-ordinated by the charity Working Families—outlined key proposals for reform. Signatories include the TUC, Save the Children, Pregnant Then Screwed, and The Dad Shift, among others.
The letter calls for nine principles to guide the reform of parental leave:
- Each parent should have their own individual, non-transferable right to time off and pay. This has been shown in other countries to reduce gender inequality.
- Maternity leave remains essential for a mother’s recovery and to support breastfeeding. Employers should also be required to support breastfeeding at work.
- Fathers and partners should be encouraged and financially supported to take time off to care for their newborn, helping establish their role from the beginning.
- The system must be simple and easy to navigate, offering flexibility and the option for both parents to take time off together.
- Leave and pay should be made available from day one, and include workers in insecure employment or the self-employed.
- Statutory levels of leave and pay should be significantly increased and linked to the cost of living to make leave affordable for all families.
- The law must protect parents’ rights to return to the same job, and safeguard them from discrimination during and after their leave.
- Future reforms must not compromise any existing parental rights or entitlements.
- Parental leave should be aligned with a flexible labour market, affordable childcare, and a health system that recognises the important roles of both parents.
Labour committed in its election manifesto to reviewing parental leave arrangements “within the first year of a Labour government”. While a formal announcement is yet to be made, sources close to the government suggest that the review will be launched by early July, argued Working Families.
Current System Failing Fathers, Say Researchers
Research by Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Professor Eleonora Fichera, from the University of Bath’s Department of Economics, found that the shared parental leave policy has not significantly changed the behaviour of fathers in the UK. Based on data from 40,000 households, the study showed little to no increase in the number of fathers taking leave or the duration of that leave.
Dr Clifton-Sprigg stated: “A better policy should reserve some leave specifically for fathers, provide adequate pay, and lower the eligibility barriers so that more working parents can benefit.”
Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families, added:
“A rethink of the statutory offering to new parents is long overdue. Attitudes have shifted—fathers want to be more involved in their children’s lives, and if we’re serious about gender equality, they need the opportunity to do so from the outset.
“Unfortunately, the current system hasn’t kept up with this change. Reform is urgently needed so that families, especially those without financial security, aren’t forced back to work too soon and can enjoy equal time with their child during that all-important first year.”
The growing push for reform highlights a broader societal shift: both parents increasingly want to play active roles in raising their children, and the concerns that UK law must evolve to reflect that reality.
