Today, fathers from across the UK will be making their way to London to protest statutory paternity leave, holding their babies outside the Department for Business and Trade as part of the world’s first ‘dad strike’.
The campaign is being organised by the Dad Shift, which argues that women will continue to face maternity leave discrimination if dads aren’t afforded decent paternity leave offerings.
It comes after Labour’s employment rights bill, which promised a ‘day one’ right to paternity leave, failed to include the right to statutory pay.
While mums can claim statutory maternity pay at 90% of their salary for six weeks, then £187.18 for the next 33 weeks, dads are entitled to far less time off work.
Statutory paternity pay is set at £187.18 per week or 90% of men’s average weekly earnings (whichever is the lower amount) for just two weeks, making it one of the least generous entitlements in Europe.
And same sex couples face the same low payments (for example, a birth mother will be entitled to maternity pay while her partner – regardless of gender – is only able to claim statutory paternity pay for a fortnight).
‘The UK’s paternity leave is a national embarrassment and the calls for change are growing louder,’ said Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift campaign. ‘Now we just need the government to act.’
Some companies do boost paid leave for their employees, but the latest Working Families Benchmark report found UK companies gave just five weeks of paid paternity leave on average in 2024.
The result? Dads and partners are forced back to work early, missing out on valuable bonding time with their babies. Meanwhile mums are thrown in at the deep end caring for a newborn solo, often having barely recovered from childbirth themselves.
It’s why Pregnant Then Screwed has launched Let’s Talk About Six, a campaign calling for fathers and same sex parents to have at least six weeks of paid paternity leave in the UK.
There are a few companies who are ahead of the game though, giving new dads an entire year of paternity leave.
So, if you’re someone who wants to start a family or add to your brood, you might want to see if these businesses have any vacancies going.
Bain & Company
In 2019, Bain & Company, which is a global consultancy firm, decided to offer equal parental leave for all its employees in the UK. Honestly, we love to see it.
This means that new parents, regardless of gender or how they became parents, are eligible for 52 weeks of leave. Essentially, whether you’ve given birth or your partner has, you’ve adopted or welcomed your little one via surrogacy, you’re still eligible.
Here, the first 29 weeks of that leave are fully paid, with it dropping after seven months (though still paid).
Diageo
In 2020, alcohol producer Diageo also introduced 52 weeks paternity leave for all parents. The first 26 weeks of this paternity leave are fully paid with it dropping after six months.
Mars Inc
If you’ve worked for Mars UK for more than a year you can also get your hands on 52 weeks of pat leave.
You may have been stuffing your face with chocolate, but you can cash in on another sweet offering too.
While the deal isn’t quite as generous as its competitors, you still get 26 weeks paid at 90% of your yearly salary before it decreases further.
AVIVA
When it comes to insurance, it’s not just something you want in case of an accident, you want it when bringing a baby into the world, too.
Knowing you won’t need to return to work before you’re ready shouldn’t be a luxury, but here we are. And Aviva allows you to take 52 weeks of paternity leave, with 26 weeks at full pay.
This is the case even if you and your partner both work there – no need to share the time off.
What is Shared Parental Leave?
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) was introduced 10 years ago with the aim of giving dads an equal opportunity to engage in parenthood – but campaign groups say it hasn’t helped.
The scheme allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay after the birth (effectively allowing the mother to transfer her maternity leave to the father after the first two weeks).
Just 2% of couples take this up though, with Maternity Action calling for the ‘failing’ scheme to be scrapped.
‘It’s poorly paid, complex, and many working parents aren’t even eligible,’ the charity said.
Manifest
Manifest is a marketing company and it’s also got a pretty decent deal on the table for new dads.
Fathers will get 52 weeks off – all at 90% pay, so you don’t need to worry about your funds getting smaller and smaller.
We’re manifesting this for our future selves too.
Zurich Insurance
Another insurance company on the list also gives new dads a full year off.
If you work here, you’ll be entitled to 16 weeks at full pay, a little bit stingier than its competitors but much better than the UK average. Pay the drops to 90% pay for the remainder of your time off.
Companies that offer five months or more at 100% salary
- abrdn: 40 weeks
- Finimize: 38 weeks
- Accenture: 30 weeks
- Edrington: 30 weeks
- Deloitte: 26 weeks
- Oliver Wyman: 26 weeks
- Starbucks EMEA Ltd: 26 weeks
- University of the Arts London: 26 weeks
- FSCS: 26 weeks
- LGT Wealth Management: 26 weeks
- Baring: 26 weeks
- Phoenix Group: 26 weeks
- S&P Global: 26 weeks
- Fidelity International: 26 weeks
- Goldman Sachs: 26 weeks
- M and G: 26 weeks
- London Stock Exchange Group: 26 weeks
- MOD: 26 weeks
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals: 26 weeks
- Norvartis: 26 weeks
- Ashurst: 26 weeks
- Havas helia: 26 weeks
- Childrens Investment Fund Foundation: 26 weeks
- British Land: 26 weeks
- Knight Frank: 26 weeks
- JLL: 24 weeks
- Booking.com: 22 weeks
- Standard Chartered: 20 weeks
- UBS: 20 weeks
- Hodge: 20 weeks
- Financial Times: 20 weeks
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: I came out 10 years ago — this is what your teen daughter needs to hear
MORE: I’ve applied for 38 jobs and got nowhere – I blame ageism
MORE: The 7 top-paying UK jobs you don’t need a degree for
