Academics from the University of Bath are standing in solidarity with The Dad Shift as they prepare to lead the world’s first Dad Strike on 11 June in London and Edinburgh. The protest, timed just ahead of Father’s Day, is a call to action for urgent reform of the UK’s paternity leave system.
New research by The Dad Shift and Shaun Davies MP has revealed that just 3% of the UK’s £3.3 billion parental leave investment supports fathers and non-birthing parents.
In support of this national call for change, University of Bath economists Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Dr Alistair Hunt will publish a new policy paper in June proposing costed reforms to the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) system. Their recommendations include:
6 weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, paid at 90% of wages
6 weeks of paternity leave, flexibly taken, at the statutory rate
Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg from the Department of Economics said:
The government’s Shared Parental Leave policy was well-intentioned, but it’s failed to deliver for fathers and families. The truth is: dads want to be more involved, but the system makes it too hard and too expensive. This protest makes clear that inaction is no longer an option.
Dr Alistair Hunt form the Department of Economics said:
Six weeks of properly paid paternity leave would be a game changer - for children, mums, dads, and society. It’s long overdue. There’s now a growing body of evidence that two weeks of paternity leave and the current shared parental leave system simply aren’t working. Reform isn’t just fair - it’s economically smart.
Earlier research by Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and Professor Eleonora Fichera (University of Bath), in collaboration with Professor Melanie Jones and Dr Ezgi Kaya (Cardiff Business School), published by the University’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR) analysed data from over 1,400 working UK fathers in households with young children in the UK Household Longitudinal Study and found no measurable impact of SPL on the number of dads taking leave – or how long they take it for.
The team found that fathers are still not taking more time off after a child is born, and mothers are still carrying the burden of early childcare.
Professor Eleonora Fichera from the Department of Economics said:
If we want genuine shared caregiving in families, we need policies that address financial barriers. Our findings suggest the current system is failing the very people it’s meant to support – especially mothers, who end up shouldering more responsibility when policies don’t go far enough to support dads.
The Dad Shift protest comes just weeks ahead of an expected government review into parental leave. Though not yet officially announced, sources suggest this long-delayed review may launch in early July.
George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift said:
Dads are fed up and it’s time for action. Labour is launching a review of parental leave this Summer and this is their opportunity to prove they’re on the side of working families and working fathers.
Professor Susan Milner, an expert on work and gender equality from the University’s Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, said:
Change is long overdue. We need policies that support parents equally – not just in theory, but in practice. Dad Shift’s message resonates because it’s rooted in the everyday realities of families across the UK. We need a national conversation about what modern parental leave should look like.
Dr Clifton-Sprigg’s and Dr Alistair Hunt’s new policy paper, developed with Working Families and Fatherhood Institute, will be presented to government in late June and is expected to offer practical, costed alternatives to the current model, showing reform is both affordable and achievable.