The State of Parental Leave in the UK and beyond: Over half of dads felt pressured to return to work

New research indicates that UK fathers could be getting short changed when it comes to the early weeks of raising their children.

Life insurance broker, Reassured has investigated which countries and industries are the best and worst for parental leave. The experts also spoke with UK fathers* to determine their stance on the parental options they’re given.

According to the research, there are significant disparities in parental leave experiences with over one in six (17.1%) fathers being granted 5-6 weeks of paid parental leave, whilst 20% were allowed 1-2 weeks.

Over half (52%) stated they felt pressured to return to work early, 41% were denied longer leave and 60% wished their leave was on par with their partners.

Which UK cities are the best and worst for paternity leave?

The study revealed significant regional variations. Manchester emerged as the best city, with 41% of parents enjoying 9-10 weeks of paid leave. Cities like Norwich and Liverpool provided only 1-2 weeks for 33.3% and 30% of parents respectively.

Leeds stood out as the city where the negative impacts of longer paternity leave were the most pronounced, with 70% of fathers stating that their careers could be affected. In comparison, this figure was 45% in London and 43% in Birmingham.

Which UK industries are the worst for paternity leave?

Shockingly, 100% of fathers in the charity and law sectors reported that their careers could be adversely affected by taking longer leave. Other industries with high levels of career impact included law enforcement and security (75%), recruitment, HR, transport, and accountancy (67%).

For those in the creative arts and design industry, only 20% said they felt their career could be affected. This was also true for those in a teaching and education role.