How UK paternity go away compares to the remainder of Europe | EUROtoday

The paternity go away provide for brand new dads within the UK is “one of the worst in the developed world”, in accordance with a brand new report printed this week.

The authorities says the system must be “improved” and has promised to evaluation parental go away. But how does the state of affairs within the UK examine to elsewhere?

BBC News spoke to dads throughout Europe about how a lot time they will take off work after the delivery of their kids – and the way that has modified fatherhood for them.

When Jamie’s daughter Kiara was born three years in the past, he says it was “incredibly difficult”.

“I had to watch my partner struggle looking after our child,” Jamie says. “The biggest thing I remember was the crying. My daughter clearly needed support and my wife was noticeably struggling and exhausted.”

A number of weeks after Kiara was born, Jamie’s mother-in-law flew from Zimbabwe to help the household, as a result of Jamie was solely entitled to statutory paternity go away.

Rules within the UK enable new fathers and second mother and father in full-time employment to take as much as two weeks off work. That applies to all companions, no matter gender, after the delivery, surrogacy or adoption of a child, however not those that are self-employed or dads incomes lower than £123 per week.

Those eligible obtain £187.18 per week, or 90% of their common earnings, whichever is decrease. This works out as lower than half of the National Living Wage.

Jamie, from Ashford in Kent, says the statutory pay “was frankly pennies”.

He and his accomplice at the moment are anticipating their second baby, in August – one thing they started saving for earlier than Jamie’s spouse Zanele even fell pregnant.

Jamie says his “frustration” about paternity pay led him to attend the world’s first “dad strike” earlier this week, when fathers from throughout the nation protested exterior the federal government’s Department for Business and Trade in Westminster.

“Seeing things change relatively recently in other countries… why are we not keeping up?” Jamie says.

For Octavio, spending 4 months at residence together with his daughter Alicia has made “a tremendous difference”.

He cut up his paternity go away into two components – six weeks – which was obligatory -immediately after Alicia was born, and the remaining 10 weeks when his spouse went again to work.

“The extended quality time with Alicia allowed us to develop a strong bond that I believe wouldn’t have formed as deeply otherwise,” says Octavio, a pc engineer from Seville.

Over the previous few years, Spain has elevated the period of time given to new fathers. In 2019, dads have been entitled to 5 weeks off work. But from 2021, that was prolonged to 16 weeks at full pay, together with for many who are self-employed. There isn’t any cap on the wage paid. It means parental go away is now equal between mums and dads in Spain.

“These changes have truly made a significant difference,” says Octavio.

France has additionally made progressive steps on paternity go away lately.

Antoine is an architect who lives on the outskirts of Paris, and has benefitted from the adjustments. When his son Thibault was born 5 years in the past, Antoine, who works full-time, was entitled to 2 weeks paternity go away.

But in September 2020 paternity go away in France doubled, that means Antoine obtained 4 weeks off work when his second baby was born in 2023.

“It allowed me to support my wife and children,” he says. “Fathers should be allowed to be more present during these family life periods that enrich all relationships and allow them to fully take their place as full-time parents.”

France’s paternity go away guidelines imply dads – together with those that are self-employed – should take per week off work instantly after their baby is born. Pay is roofed by the employer for the primary three days, however after that’s state-funded.

The remaining 21 days, which may be cut up into two chunks, are elective and may be taken anytime throughout the subsequent six months. Pay is capped at €3,428 (£2,921) a month.

André, who was born in Portugal and spent 9 years dwelling in England, says the distinguished function performed by dads in Denmark was one of many first issues he observed when he moved there.

“You see dads strolling around with their kids and young babies,” André says. “I was like: ‘Wow, I’m not used to this.'”

Dads in Denmark, together with those that are self-employed, can take as much as 24 weeks off work at full pay by the state.

After eleven weeks, the remaining 13 may be transferred to the delivery accomplice if needed, to allow them to use them as additional maternity go away. One of the mother and father can postpone as much as 13 weeks of parental till their baby is aged 9.

André determined to separate his parental go away – taking two weeks instantly after his child Miro was born and saving the remaining 11 weeks – so he can take care of his nine-month-old son when his accomplice returns to work.

“In Denmark, it’s expected that the partner is more present,” André says. “You’re not only connecting with your child, but you want to develop the family as a whole together.”

Dads with full-time jobs in Poland are entitled to 2 weeks of paternity go away. But not like within the UK, the wage is paid at 100%, which Kamil says was “great”.

Shortly after his daughter Marianna’s first birthday, Kamil took one other 9 weeks of non-transferable parental go away, which should be taken within the first 12 months. This is out there to each mother and father, so long as they’re employed, and is paid at 70% of a full-time wage.

“For many families, the 70% nine weeks is very low,” Kamil says, “but… when I took the leave my wife started going back to work. I earned 30% less, but she started earning more, so it was beneficial for our family.”

Kamil says these additional 9 weeks alleviated loads of “stress” as his spouse transitioned again into work after a 12 months off on maternity go away.

“I was confident,” Kamil says. “I felt as though I was doing a good job – and my daughter felt good with me.”

Mattias, from Stockholm, says comforting his three-month-old son is “the best feeling I’ve ever experienced”.

Mattias is ready to benefit from one of the vital beneficiant paternity go away insurance policies on the planet. Parents in Sweden, together with those that are self-employed, can share as much as 480 days of father or mother go away, with 90 days reserved particularly for every father or mother.

Ringfencing time without work for dads was first launched in Sweden in 1995, with the introduction of a “daddy month” – 30 days only for fathers. This use-it-or-lose-it mannequin elevated to 60 days in 2002, and 90 days in 2016.

The first 390 days for every father or mother are paid at 80% by the federal government, as much as a month-to-month wage cap of SEK47,750 (£3,590). After that, there is a day by day statutory compensation of SEK180 (£14).

Mattias took six weeks off when Otto was born and can use one other 9 months of parental go away from November.

“We could share the load in the beginning when everything was new,” Mattias says. “Those six weeks allowed us to be parents together – that made a huge difference. “

Some firms, each within the UK and overseas, pay out of their very own pocket for enhanced paternity go away insurance policies past the statutory minimal. But analysis from 2023 confirmed simply 12% of fathers from low-income households had entry to their full entitlement of employer-enhanced parental go away and pay.

Alex Lloyd-Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, says “money is the single biggest barrier” to dads taking time without work work and needs the federal government to fund higher paternity go away for all dads.

A report, printed this week by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) mentioned statutory pay within the UK was “completely out of kilter with the cost of living”. It steered the federal government ought to contemplate rising paternity pay to 90% or extra and paternity go away to 6 weeks in a phased strategy.

The report additionally checked out shared parental go away, launched in 2014, which permits mother and father to share as much as 50 weeks of go away and as much as 37 weeks of pay after the delivery or adoption of a kid. The evaluation discovered many households thought of it “unnecessarily complex”. It is utilized in fewer than 2% of all births and a report from 2023 suggests virtually half (45%) of dads weren’t even conscious shared parental go away was an possibility.

“We know the parental leave system needs to be improved,” a spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade mentioned, including the federal government would evaluation maternity go away, paternity go away and shared parental go away.

They additionally pointed to adjustments which imply dads will quickly now not should be employed by an organization for 26 weeks to be entitled to statutory paternity go away.