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Men in the UK want better access to paternity leave, and they’re letting the world know by adorning bronze statues with baby dolls in slings.
Where in the world? The Dad Shift, a parental leave advocacy group, put baby dolls on famous statues throughout London and Edinburgh, including those depicting Singing in the Rain actor Gene Kelly and soccer star Thierry Henry, NPR reported, in an effort to raise awareness of the lack of paternity leave in the UK. The group wants fathers to be paid an adequate salary and enough time off, so they can afford to be home with their new children.
The UK has among the most paltry paternity leave policies in Europe. While men have a right to paternity leave, they are only guaranteed two weeks and receive just £184.03 a week when they’re off. As a result, nearly one in five fathers don’t take any time off compared to new moms, who take around 40 weeks of leave, according to research from Trades Union Congress done in 2023. Comparatively, men in some other European countries, such as Spain and Finland, get at least 16 weeks off at their full pay.
“Proper parental leave for fathers and co-parents is good for mothers, good for babies, good for fathers and good for society too including improving health outcomes for all,” the Dad Shift wrote in an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
It’s not just up to the government to provide paid leave; many private employers in the country offer competitive leave benefits for workers. Earlier this year, the London Stock Exchange Group expanded its parental leave, regardless of gender, to 26 weeks, HR Brew previously reported.
Satellite view. The US does not guarantee any paid parental leave, regardless of gender. Workers prefer companies that provide leave, and while just 13% of men work at companies with paternity leave, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families, some research indicates that access to paternity leave in the US is expanding.
“Employers are making tangible progress in addressing support for working parents, with a noticeable increase in the provision of paternity leave,” Sadie Funk, national director of Best Place for Working Parents, told SHRM. “Fathers, who are increasingly seeking more time with family, represent a growing segment of the workforce that values such benefits.”