It’s time to revolutionise parental leave

It’s time to revolutionise parental leave – for women, for families, for our future 

 Our Parental Leave system is broken. It’s underpaid, unequal, outdated and it’s costing us all. 

This week we submitted evidence to the UK Government’s review of parental leave and pay. Our message is clear: the current system entrenches inequality and fuels the gender pay gap. It fails parents, it fails children, and it fails our economy. 

 A system built on outdated assumptions 

Our parental leave model still treats mothers as the default carers and fathers and second parents as optional extras. That model belongs to the past. 

Today, statutory maternity pay falls far below a living wage. Paternity leave lasts just two weeks, and shared parental leave is so poorly paid and complex that few families can use it. 

Our 2023 Paths to Parenthood report found that 84% of mothers found returning to work after maternity leave difficult. Nearly three-quarters of parents had to take unpaid leave because of childcare duties.  

The impact is devastating 

When mothers are forced to step back from work, or pushed out entirely, it hits hard. Not just on pay but on pensions and promotions. We call this the motherhood penalty and it’s one of the main drivers of the UK’s persistent gender pay gap. 

Right now, the average full-time gender pay gap sits at 11.3%. That means women are losing out on over £631 a month compared to men, simply because the system is stacked against them. 

It’s worse still for Black and minoritised mothers, who are more likely to be in insecure work and less likely to access flexible working or enhanced parental pay. These intersecting inequalities are ignored in current policy. 

We’re losing talent and economic potential. Women want to work, contribute, and care, but they need a system that works with them, not against them. 

What change could look like 

Other countries have reformed their parental leave systems with huge success. 

In Sweden, both parents are guaranteed paid, non-transferable leave. In Spain, paternity leave has been increased to 16 weeks at full pay and now men and women take parental leave in equal numbers. These policies don’t just support families. They boost economies, help close pay gaps, and challenge outdated gender roles.

We can do the same. 

We are calling for: 

• Three months’ well-paid, non-transferable leave for fathers or second parents 

• Enhanced, well-paid and accessible statutory maternity and paternity pay 

• All jobs to be advertised as flexible, unless there’s a clear reason not to 

• Parental leave reform that works for all families  

 Why it matters to us - and to you 

We’re the UK’s leading voice for women’s equality. But we don’t speak alone. We are powered by members who demand better for themselves, their families, and future generations. 

 This review is a chance to rewrite the rules. To finally build a parental leave system that reflects how people live and parent today. A system that supports mothers instead of punishing them, and that gives all parents a fair shot at sharing care. 

We’re pushing for real change.

Join our movement for women's equality and keep track of our progress on parental leave plus the many other ways we’re working to revolutionise work.