What do working dads know about their paternity rights?

Rights for working parents can be a bit of a minefield.

But all parents have the right to request Shared Parental Leave (SPL) should they qualify, but staggeringly figures obtained by PowWowNow though FOI requests from HMRC indicate that uptake of Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) amongst eligible couples was just 3.5% in 2018.

Despite few men taking significant time off following the birth of a child, we found in a recent survey that the majority (82%) of fathers said they would like to be able to spend more time caring for their children as they grow up.

Among those fathers who did not take SPL, a third said they were not able to afford it and one in five said they did not know it was an option at the time. Further, 19 percent said they didn’t want to take leave away from their partner.

So, we took to the streets of London to speak to some dads and find out their views and opinions on parental and paternity leave and whether flexible working helps with balancing work and home life.