The UK has one of many “worst statutory depart provides for fathers and different dad and mom within the developed world”, the chairwoman of the Girls and Equalities Committee has warned.
Sarah Owen stated the UK’s parental depart system was in “pressing want of an overhaul to suit with the truth of working dad and mom’ lives”.
“The UK’s parental depart system has fallen far behind most comparable international locations,” she added.
Her feedback come as a brand new report by her Home of Commons committee discovered {that a} most of two weeks’ paternity depart is “utterly out of step with how most {couples} need to share their parenting duties” and “entrenches outdated gender stereotypes about caring”.
The UK’s fee of parental pay is “utterly out of kilter with the price of dwelling, has not saved tempo with inflation and is way beneath charges in most comparable international locations”, the report states.
The Girls and Equalities Committee has urged the federal government to contemplate elevating paternity pay to the extent of maternity pay in the course of the first six weeks, which equals 90% of somebody’s common earnings.
Pic: iStock
It additionally referred to as on the federal government to both amend the Employment Rights Invoice to legislate for a day one proper to paid depart or decide to “contemplating this important change inside its evaluate” in session with employers.
The report said that working dad and mom “will likely be let down by a evaluate that leads solely to tinkering across the edges of the system”.
In its report, the committee additionally really helpful a phased introduction of will increase to statutory pay throughout the system to enhance the charges for all working dad and mom as much as 80% or extra of common earnings or the actual dwelling wage.
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Moreover, it urged the federal government to contemplate choices for offering statutory paid depart for all self-employed working fathers as a part of its evaluate of the parental depart system, as the dearth of provision for self-employed fathers was “deeply unfair”.
The report suggests contemplating the introduction of a paternity allowance for self-employed fathers and different dad and mom, just like the maternity allowance.
The upcoming evaluate into the parental depart system should look at the perform and necessity of eligibility guidelines, with a view to “simplifying or eradicating the employment standing, time in service and earnings standards”, the committee added.
