New dads need better job protection, says MP pushing for workplace rights reform
Calls grow for better job protection for new dads, as MP urges paternity leave reform to match rights mums get.
New dads are being “left out” of crucial job protections that could help them support their families – and campaigners are urging the government to fix it.
A push for better rights for fathers taking paternity leave is gathering momentum, as MPs and campaigners warn that current laws are failing to protect families when they need stability the most. While mums are legally protected from redundancy during pregnancy and maternity leave, dads aren’t offered the same security.
Now, Labour MP Lola McEvoy is calling for change as part of the government’s proposed Employment Rights Bill, arguing that it’s time the UK recognised the pressures on modern families – and gave dads a fairer deal.
Why this matters to families
Paternity leave in the UK is already among the shortest in Europe – just two weeks of paid leave. But what many parents don’t realise is that there’s currently no protection from redundancy for dads unless they’re using shared parental leave – something just 2% of families did last year, according to The Dad Shift.
Dads taking paternity leave are left out from the protections mums get. It means some fathers can't even take what they’re entitled to.
Campaigners want paternity leave to be protected from the moment a dad tells his employer a baby is on the way, right up until the child is 18 months old. That could include a legal right to be offered an alternative job if redundancy is on the table.
The campaign to change the law
According to The Dad Shift, an estimated 3,700 new and expectant fathers were made redundant or forced to quit last year due to poor treatment – that’s roughly one in 60 dads.
Co-founder George Gabriel said the UK has “the least generous paternity leave in Europe,” and warned that the stories he hears are often “absolutely gut-wrenching”.
Meanwhile, the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed highlighted that even the existing protections for mums don’t always work. Its research estimates that 74,000 women lost their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity leave last year – a sharp rise from previous years.
Founder Joeli Brearley said she’s “long suspected things are getting worse, not better”.
A government spokesperson said: “We are making paternity leave and unpaid parental leave day one rights as part of our Employment Rights Bill, and are also carrying out a review of wider statutory parental leave to ensure it offers the best possible support to working families.”
Campaigners and MPs will be watching closely to see if the bill finally gives dads the same workplace protection as mums – and offers families a little more breathing room during the most intense chapter of their lives.
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Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.