It is time we stopped treating ring-fenced, paid parental leave for fathers/non-birthing parents as an optional extra to be bestowed (or not) at the whim of benevolent employers. It must be recognised as crucial to a more gender equal society. Australia has a similar culture to ours and has successfully introduced these rights. British workers deserve no less.
Sarah Russell, Labour MP for Congleton
22 May 2026
UK parental leave system is “stagnating” as comparable countries make paid leave more equal for fathers and mothers
New research from King’s Business School found the UK offers a “comprehensive” range of entitlements, but most are paid too poorly to be usable by many families.
Read the research
A new report from the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, launched in partnership with Working Families, finds that low statutory pay, weak support for fathers and poor alignment with childcare are limiting the UK’s progress towards more equal caregiving.
It found the UK’s parental leave system risks falling further behind comparable countries in the OECD or in Europe unless policymakers introduce better-paid, non-transferable leave for fathers and partners.
Launched at an All-Party Parliamentary Group (AAPG) event on Wednesday 20 May 2026 at the House of Commons, the report compares parental leave systems in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland. It finds that the UK offers a broad set of rights on paper, but low statutory pay, complex rules and gaps in access mean many parents cannot use those rights in practice.
The report argues that the UK system still reinforces mothers as the default primary caregivers, and even for mothers the pay levels remain low at a flat rate after six weeks. Fathers receive just two weeks of paternity leave at the same rate. Shared Parental Leave has also failed to shift behaviour, with only around 1% of mothers and 4% of fathers or partners using the scheme.
By contrast, recent reforms in Australia and Poland show that better-designed systems can change behaviour and cultures. Australia has expanded paid parental leave, reserved “use-it-or-lose-it” leave for each parent and begun paying pension contributions on government-funded parental leave. Poland introduced a two month earnings-related, non-transferable leave for fathers, following the European Directive on Work-Life Balance. It radically increased uptake from around 1% before reform to 24% in 2025.
The report finds that policy design plays a decisive role in shaping how families divide paid work and care. Low flat-rate pay can make leave unaffordable, particularly for fathers who are often the higher earner in heterosexual couples. Transferable leave, meanwhile, tends to be taken by mothers unless fathers have an individual entitlement they lose if they do not use it.
Researchers argue that the UK should move beyond attempts to improve awareness of Shared Parental Leave and instead redesign the system around three principles: adequately paid leave, individual non-transferable rights for fathers and partners, and better alignment between parental leave and childcare provision.
The report also warns that leave reform cannot be treated separately from childcare reform or the protection of rights for flexible working for both parents. In the UK, many families face a gap between the end of paid leave and the point at which childcare becomes affordable or available. This can make it harder for parents, especially mothers, to return to work or maintain career progression.
The international evidence is clear: if we want fathers to take leave, it has to be properly paid, non-transferable and designed as part of the childcare system, not bolted on as an afterthought. Such provisions are not just a nice to have, it is an economic policy that is essential to enhancing productivity and growth for the country.
Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership
This report shows that the UK has fallen behind because parental leave has too often been treated as a workplace benefit, rather than essential family infrastructure. Parents do not need another complicated entitlement that only works for families who can afford to use it.
Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive at Working Families
The report concludes that parental leave should be designed to support gender equality in both paid work and unpaid care, rather than relying on families to absorb the cost of an underfunded system.
The full report, Parental Leave Systems in the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland: A Comparative Review, is authored by Dr Agnieszka Kasperska, Professor Heejung Chung and Seohyun Jung.
In this story
Professor of Work and Employment and Director of King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership