Government launches ‘landmark’ review into parental leave and pay for UK families

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The UK’s parental leave rules are set for a major review as ministers plan to modernise the current system for new mums and dads. Campaigners say reforms are urgently needed to help working families and close the gender pay gap.

Transcript

00:00That fathers should be there with their children as they're born,

00:05and more particularly in the formative months and years afterwards,

00:09but particularly in the post-birth period, it's accepted.

00:14It's a really important part of the child's first days in this world,

00:19but also to assist the mother.

00:21Again, I'm looking at a very traditional family unit,

00:25but men are involved very little, which of course was the tradition,

00:31certainly in my father's generation.

00:33That's now being debunked.

00:35This is really important.

00:37The fact that employers should give time off for this is also really important,

00:42but of course we know that there are always costs to this.

00:45Therefore, of course, the costs come on the employer.

00:48In the current climate, it's very difficult for employers

00:52who are having to make ends meet.

00:54So I can sort of see tensions may sort of arrive on this,

00:57or sort of become sort of problematic in terms of the affordability.

01:02But nonetheless, the more we can do to involve fathers in sort of childhood, the better.

01:07The government has announced what it calls a landmark review of parental leave and pay,

01:12aiming to modernise the support offered to families after the birth or adoption of a child.

01:19Ministers say the system, which covers maternity, paternity and shared parental leave,

01:24has not kept pace with modern working life or changing shape of families.

01:29Campaigners have long argued that the current statutory leave is amongst the least generous in Europe,

01:35and difficult for many parents to access, especially those who are self-employed or on lower incomes.

01:42With eight different types of leave and pay available,

01:45the system has been criticised for being confusing and outdated.

01:50Over the years, society has seen a real shift in attitudes around work, parenting and family life.

01:57Well, the sort of the stereotypical man of the sort of the post-war period, which of course is, you know,

02:02that's the sort of the year of my dad's generation.

02:05Yeah, that it was very much the sort of, you know, carry on regardless.

02:08Yeah, obviously they were involved in the sort of the conception.

02:11And beyond that, of course, you know, they didn't get involved in sort of things like sort of nappy changing and feeding and whatever else.

02:17You know, I can sort of say without sort of fear of sort of being sort of found out on this one.

02:22Yeah, I was involved in that. And for sure, it's a sort of difficult period.

02:26And of course, you know, it's very sort of stressful in many ways.

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