Raising children, especially in early years, is one of the hardest things most of us will ever do in life. And it is made no easier by the prospect of losing your job. Sadly, too many parents are made redundant when they take maternity leave; forced out of jobs, and into financial hardship and insecurity, at the worst possible time, with tragic consequences. And so, the UK Government were right to provide 18 months security from redundancy for parents taking maternity or shared parenting leave – the only question is, why did they not extend this to fathers taking paternity leave too? Because nearly 4,000 fathers in the UK lose their jobs each year due to taking paternity leave, which impacts not just the men themselves, but the entire family, who often rely on them. This lopsided approach to legal protection is just one more example of the gross inequality within parental rights, that is never spoken about, nor advocated for. The same lopsidedness is true for paternity leave itself; and the shameful lack of it for fathers, who are so often forced back to work, away from their family at such important times of life. This is only further made worse, as society continues to demand equal responsibility from fathers, but refuses to give them equal rights, or equal respect in return. So how can you ask for one, without giving the other? Are rights and responsibility not two sides of the same coin? And if, as they surely are, fathers are just as important as mothers, do they not deserve the same rights, protections and guarantees? What do you think? ~ HuffPost UK CIPD 

2025-05-02