In the UK we call ourselves ‘Great Britain’, I feel we should amend this to ‘Below Average Britain’, because we are failing this countries’ parents.

In the UK dads and non-birthing parents receive just two pathetic weeks of paternity leave, and that’s not just low, it’s insulting. It’s actually the worst in Europe, and we shouldn’t have to accept that. 

I spoke to the campaign group ‘The Dad Shift’ who are on a mission to improve paternity leave and deliver the very first ‘Dad strike’ in the UK. 

I spoke to Alex, Co-founder of ‘The Dad Shift’ who launched the campaign back in September 2024.

“Men and women have been pushed into traditional roles such as a man being a breadwinner and a woman as a homemaker. But this is shifting, as women have moved into the workforce. But as a society we haven’t expanded the role of men the other way and recognised that more men want to be active and be present with their kids.”

It’s not just men that can benefit from longer paternity leave, it’s both mothers and children. Studies show that less than 10% of people think men’s role is to go to work and for mother’s to stay at home. Attitudes have rightly changed over the years, but one thing remains clear: the system hasn’t. 

Alex’s concerns aren’t just for the men working, but the mothers who could be at risk of harm. The Dad Shift has a survey that reaches thousands of parents, many who leave stories about how inadequate paternity leave has affected them.

“We heard from a mother who had an emergency C section. She was unable to lift anything for six weeks, however with the dad at work she was alone and had no support. She tripped and ripped her stitches. It’s devastating story after story.”

The current system arguably makes women the primary caregivers whether they want to be or not. A 2023 report by Women in Work says that the gender pay gap is partly caused by the ‘motherhood penalty’. It accounts for 75% of the gender pay gap and means women have to take a step back in their careers to provide care for their children. Women shouldn’t have to choose between career and family, both should equally be supported. 

The campaign has been growing and just a week ago more than 120 supporters hung up baby grows that said “two weeks isn’t enough” all over the country. The grows were seen at the white cliffs of Dover, outside of Buckingham Palace, the Angel of the North, and more. 

The group has also attached fake babies to statues to raise awareness for the roles fathers can play in their children’s lives, and that they are not just jobs, but role models. 

Alex said that the support has helped ‘reignite the conversation’, but the biggest highlight was from the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.

“It’s been fantastic, for two weeks in a row we had questions in the Prime Minister’s question time and Starmer linked bad parental leave to holding back growth. You can’t grow the economy with people choosing between growth and their families.”

The next step for the group will be a ‘Dad Strike’ which will be happening 11 June. It will be the world’s first and will mean dads will take time off work to join pickets outside of government buildings in London and Edinburgh. They also aim for all dads to do the school pick up on the day too. 

Statistically, 50% of kids don’t get picked up by their dads so Alex hopes the strike can create a ‘splash’ around paternity leave and ‘gain attention’ for it. 

The positive effects of longer paternity leave are abundant, Alex draws attention to Netflix’s recent hit ‘Adolescence’.

“We’ve all seen Adolescence, we know how important it is for men to be involved in their son’s lives and to guide them through a confusing time. It’s important to show them what it is to be a man and to be happy. There is a lot of mixed messaging online so it’s essential to help them avoid going down the wrong path so they don’t become destructive to society.”

The benefits don’t stop there, studies show that with proper paternity leave that dads live longer, are happier, and are less likely to be divorced. For children they grow up happier and perform better at school – isn’t that what we all want?

The current abysmal state of paternity leave means one in three dads cannot take the two week leave which is paid at a measly £187.18. Due to low pay around 60% of Police Officers go back to work after one week. Research also shows that 45% of fathers experience postnatal depression, the Dad Shift believe this can be reduced by better paternity leave.

The group has seen exponential success, with support from the public, media, and parliament. They are also campaigning for paternity leave for self employed people as they currently get no pay at all which is frankly, unacceptable.

“We have over 10,000 supporters including dozens of Labour MPs publicly backing it online. The government is reviewing it, we need everyone to speak up and we need action now.”

I often wonder why the UK offers such poor paternity leave, countries like Sweden replaced gender specific paternity leave. Instead, it offers 480 days of paid parental leave between the parents and around 30% of fathers use it. 

Regardless of percentage use, choice is what matters most. It seems unfair to assume mothers should be the primary caregiver and that dads should work. You get more time on probation at a new job, than time to raise a newborn child which I believe clearly shows where priorities lie in the UK.

It seems like the government is in need of some parental guidance and rightly so. It’s only fair to say they should stop being such babies about it and give fair conditions to dads.