Written evidence from Dr Laura Fumagalli, Dr Greta Morando, Dr Sonkurt Sen [SPL0041]
Understanding Why Fathers Do Not Take Up Shared Parental Leave: The Role of Non-Financial Returns, Financial Constraints, and Gender Norms
Summary of Expertise
The team specialises in collecting and analysing quantitative data to inform policies that support families. They have spent several years studying the factors influencing fathers’ take-up of paternal and shared parental leave, with a particular focus on parental beliefs regarding the non-financial benefits of fathers taking leave. They are also part of an international network examining the impact of parental leave policies on children’s development and parents’ labour market outcomes.
Summary and importance of the research
We collect new data from a representative sample of UK residents of childbearing age who are married, cohabiting, or in stable relationships. We use vignettes to elicit respondents' expected returns from transferring weeks of SPL (Shared Parental Leave) from the mother to the father. We also gather information on respondents' gender attitudes and the financial and non-financial barriers to SPL take-up. Finally, we employ a randomized survey experiment that simulates the effects of an information campaign about the non-financial benefits of SPL on respondents' perceptions of these benefits and support for SPL.
Our research is the first to provide unique insights into how people perceive the longer-term equality impacts of SPL on children's and mothers' health, mothers’ labour market participation and children’s education, as well as on future equal sharing of caring duties. Our study also provides crucial evidence on the reasons behind low SPL take-up and offers suggestions on how to increase it. Additionally, it helps reconsider the role of the current maternal transfer in favour of a fully joint right.
Our study’s main findings are as follows:
1.1. Both men and women generally believe that a more equal division of early childcare between parents — where fathers take longer leave under SPL — would benefit:
1.2. However, beliefs are more divided when it comes to child nutrition in the first year of life.
1.3. When deciding whether to take SPL, fathers tend to consider its impact on child outcomes but not its potential benefits for mothers or their own bond with the child.
1.4. We conducted a randomised controlled trial (RCT) where a treatment group was given information on the non-financial benefits of fathers taking SPL (based on evidence from economic research). This led to:
1.5. Gender norms and financial constraints remain significant barriers to fathers taking SPL.
2.1. Reform the SPL model by ensuring both parents have individually allocated, non-transferable leave while maintaining the option to take leave simultaneously if desired.
2.2. Increase financial support of paternity leave to reduce the financial penalty for fathers taking leave.
2.3. Launch an information campaign highlighting the non-financial benefits of fathers taking leave for the whole family.
2.4. Support flexible work arrangements for working mothers after giving birth for example by promoting flexible working hours, working from home, and private lactation spaces.
2.5. Encourage gender equality to reduce societal stigma around fathers caring for the child and working mothers.
3.1. How can we achieve a more equal division of childcare and domestic responsibilities by removing barriers to fathers taking SPL?
3.2. Several factors could contribute to the low take-up of SPL by fathers:
3.3. Our study examines these issues by collecting new data on a representative sample of UK residents in childbearing age who are married, cohabiting, or in stable relationships and by leveraging a randomised survey experiment to simulate the effects of an information campaign on the role of the non-financial benefits of SPL.
4.1. People generally believe that increased paternal involvement in early childcare benefits the whole family. Our study shows that an additional week of SPL transferred from the mother to the father is expected to:
4.2. The most divisive belief concerns child nutrition in the first year of life. We hypothesise that this is due to concerns that increased paternal leave could disrupt the breastfeeding routine.
5.1. Providing information on the non-financial benefits of SPL is likely to increase awareness but may not lead to higher take-up rates.
5.2. Our study shows that increased awareness of the non-financial benefits of SPL drives women (but not men) to marginally increase the number of weeks of SPL they believe should ideally be transferred from mothers to fathers.
5.3. We also find that increased awareness increases people’s willingness of signing a petition for the government asking to increase SPL financial compensation
We find evidence that:
6.1. Fathers tend not to consider how SPL could benefit mothers or their own father-child bond.
6.2. Both fathers and mothers consider potential impacts on child nutrition, with some perceiving negative effects.
Furthermore, our findings also suggest that:
6.3. Mothers often act as ‘gatekeepers’ in SPL decision-making.
6.4. Mothers may resist giving up leave due to concerns about their own bonding time with the child.
6.5. Societal stigma and fear of peer judgement discourage fathers from taking SPL.
6.6. Financial constraints are a significant barrier, with higher-income fathers or those with enhanced employer benefits less likely to take SPL. The UK has one of the least generous paternity leave provisions among OECD countries, making financial concerns particularly relevant.
6.7. Families may prefer informal childcare from relatives over paternal care.
7.1. Redefine SPL as a joint right rather than a transferred entitlement from mothers to fathers, following the model of countries like Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Spain. This could reduce maternal gatekeeping and empower fathers.
7.2. Improve SPL financial compensation to reduce reliance on employer-enhanced payments. This would help address socio-economic inequalities, as higher-earning, better-educated fathers currently have access to more generous employer-enhanced payments, contributing to disparities.
7.3. Run a national information campaign on the wider family benefits of SPL and more generally on fathers taking parental leave.
7.4. Support working parents by allowing them to opt for flexible arrangements when returning to work after childbirth.
7.5. Maintain the option for parents to take SPL simultaneously where desired, as this could offer multiple benefits.
7.6. Promote gender equality to reduce societal stigma around fathers taking parental leave to look after their newborns.
For the data collection, we acknowledge support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) through CRC TR 224.
We are available to provide further evidence, both orally and in writing, to support parliamentary inquiries on this issue.
Our contact details are:
Laura Fumagalli: lfumag@essex.ac.uk
Greta Morando: g.morando@sheffield.ac.uk
Sonkurt Sen: sonkurt.sen@uni-bonn.de
February 2025