Parental Leave Is Getting an Overhaul - But Is it Enough?

"In the UK, Statutory Maternity Pay is paid for up to 39 of those 52 weeks. For the first six weeks, you get 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax) and then £187.18 or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks. The final 13 of those 52 weeks are unpaid."

"In Italy, mothers get five months leave at 80% pay; in Norway there's 49 weeks of parental leave at full pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay, which can be shared; and Sweden allows 480 days of paid leave per child at 80% pay, with each parent entitled to 240 of those days. Scandinavian countries are particularly good at designating proper periods of time off for both parents in an effort to be gender equal."

"The parental leave system in the UK is based around an outdated model that assumes the mother will take a step back from work while the fathers continue to earn, further contributing to the gender pay gap. When mothers take the lion's share of parental leave, it has negative ramifications for their career progression and their pensions."

The UK offers 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave, with 39 weeks paid at 90% of average earnings for six weeks, then £187.18 weekly for 33 weeks, and 13 weeks unpaid. Paternity leave is limited to two weeks at the same low rate. Shared Parental Leave allows 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay to be split between parents. However, the £187.18 weekly rate represents less than half the minimum wage for adults. European comparisons reveal stark differences: Italy provides five months at 80% pay, Norway offers 49-59 weeks at full or 80% pay, and Sweden allows 480 days at 80% pay per child. The UK system perpetuates outdated gender roles, with mothers taking disproportionate leave, harming career progression and pensions while widening the gender pay gap.

Read at London On The Inside