December 1st marks the 10 year anniversary of Shared Parental Leave. This has allowed 1% of eligible mothers and 5% of eligible fathers to benefit.
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) was introduced in the UK with high hopes of enabling parents to share caregiving responsibilities more equitably and reducing the career impact often borne by mothers after having children. However, nearly a decade later, research—including findings from the the Economics Department and Institute for Policy Research (IPR) at the University of Bath and Cardiff University—suggests that SPL has not lived up to its promise of advancing gender equality.
Recipients of Shared Parental Pay in the UK have increased from 6,200 in 2015-16 to 13,000 in 2021-22.
Our CEO Verena, who served on the advisory group for the IPR research, has long been a champion for supporting working parents to thrive both at home and in their careers.
What is Shared Parental Leave?
SPL allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a child. The birth mother must take at least two weeks of maternity leave for health and safety reasons (four if she works in a factory), but beyond that, parents can decide how to divide the remaining leave. The policy also offers flexibility for parents to alternate periods of leave and work.
This flexibility, though seemingly a step forward, has not been widely embraced. According to IPR’s research, SPL uptake remains low—less than 4% of eligible fathers take advantage of the scheme.
In an extra survey conducted by Leaders Plus, we found that 61.8% of participants faced a challenge during their time on leave. One Parent replied:
“Having a newborn, my employer didn’t adequately let me know that there was a benefit I could have taken advantage of.”
Another response was:
“Feelings of isolation being a dad when mum’s circles and social networks seemed well established.”
Many participants in the Leaders Plus survey felt that their workplace could have been more supportive of their decision to take SPL. Less than half (46.4%) of those surveyed were fully satisfied with support from their employers, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being fully satisfied and 1 not at all satisfied.
One of the questions from the survey was: ‘Do you think your time on leave affected the way your manager or organisation views your commitment to your role or the company?’ Some fathers reported that SPL had similar career impacts to them, as it did to mothers:
“Not directly, but I did miss out on a couple of new job opportunities while I was away, and I was unsuccessful applying for temporary promotion within my own team mid-way through my SPL. The hiring manager, my own Director, told me she felt other candidates (who were not on SPL of course) were better prepared, which felt inevitable as they weren’t full-time looking after a baby!”
In our survey, a number of Fathers who did SPL felt they had not been offered the same support as their partners after maternity leave. We asked them:
When you returned to work, did you face any challenges in re-establishing your role or responsibilities?
One parent responded saying:
“Yes – I was regularly told “we need to look after X as they have just returned from maternity leave and have a small child” without acknowledging my similar position, parental responsibilities, etc.”
While another Parent expressed this:
“Yes, I felt like all the momentum of my career had gone. I felt very unprepared for this and was something our HR department did not warn me about (even though it was a standard thing known for mat leave).”
Parents had multiple meaningful reasons for doing Shared Parental Leave. Regarding our respondents motivations for taking SPL, we received answers like:
“Bonding with my son, supporting my partner, being present for childhood ‘firsts.’”
This highlights why it is important for us to make parental leave more accessible to them and their families.
Why Doesn’t Shared Parental Leave Work for Gender Equality?
The IPR study revealed several barriers preventing SPL from achieving its intended impact:
1. Cultural Norms and Expectations
Despite SPL providing an option for fathers (or non-birth partners) to take more leave, societal and workplace norms continue to cast mothers as primary caregivers. Fathers often feel stigmatized or unsupported when requesting SPL, and many worry about career repercussions.
2. Financial Inequities
SPL is often financially unviable for many families. Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) is capped at £172.48 per week (or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower), significantly less than the full pay many mothers receive during the initial weeks of maternity leave. For couples who rely on the father’s income, taking SPL is simply not a realistic option.
3. Complexity of the System
SPL’s eligibility criteria and administrative processes are notoriously complex. Many parents, particularly fathers, are unaware of how the system works or find it too burdensome to navigate.
4. The Burden on Mothers
Ironically, SPL often requires mothers to give up a portion of their maternity leave to enable their partner to take leave. This “sacrifice” reinforces the idea that caregiving is primarily a mother’s responsibility and puts additional pressure on women to balance work and family roles.
Who Does Shared Parental Leave Work For?
The research highlights that SPL tends to benefit parents in specific situations—those in same-sex relationships or families where the mother is the primary earner. For these families, SPL can offer greater flexibility and a fairer division of caregiving responsibilities.
However, for the vast majority of heterosexual couples, the policy falls short of creating a meaningful shift in caregiving dynamics.
The Bigger Picture: What Needs to Change?
The IPR policy brief, by Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg and colleagues, concludes that SPL, while well-intentioned, is a missed opportunity for advancing gender equality in caregiving. To address these challenges, they recommend:
- A dedicated “use-it-or-lose-it” portion of paid leave for fathers (or non-birth parents), similar to systems in countries like Sweden and Iceland.
- Higher rates of pay for SPL, making it financially viable for more families.
- Simplified administrative processes to improve accessibility and awareness.
- Cultural shifts in workplaces to normalize fathers and non-birth parents taking leave without stigma.
Final Thoughts
We believe it’s essential to have honest conversations about what’s not working in parental leave policies and advocate for change. SPL is a vital step, but it needs significant reform to truly support all parents and challenge entrenched gender roles.
We urge policymakers, employers, and society as a whole to think critically about how we can create a parental leave system that benefits everyone—not just mothers or fathers, but families as a whole.
Thank you to all the parents that shared their stories in the follow up survey. Their perspective and experience gives valuable insight into issues that need to be addressed.
Leaders Plus is committed to driving meaningful change. We’re not just highlighting problems – we’re actively working to create solutions that support all parents, regardless of gender or family structure.
We are proud that Dads currently make up 10% of the members on our Fellowship Programme and we would love to have more people on SPL, and fathers, join us. If you are a parent that could benefit from support with career development and want to access a network of like minded parents tackling similar challenges, find out more here. Also, feel free to share this with anyone who could benefit.
Together, we can build a future where every parent has equal opportunities to thrive both at work and at home.