Only half of new fathers take statutory paternity leave

A third of new fathers took holiday to be with their newborns, while only half took the statutory minimum of two weeks off, according to recent research.

A survey by Zurich UK found that 12% of new fathers resorted to taking unpaid leave to spend time with their new babies. A total of 15% were concerned that taking extended paternity leave would be frowned upon by their employer, while 12% felt it would impact their career progression.

When searching for a new role, 43% of new dads said they looked for paid paternity leave – putting it above bonuses, cited by 42%, private healthcare, preferred by 29%, and salary, cited by 27%.

The Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 implemented in April enable fathers to split paternity leave into two one-week blocks instead of taking it all at once. They can take this leave any time in the 52 weeks after the birth or adoption of their child. 

According to the poll, 30% had split their leave: 43% to support their partner as the baby grew more active and 36% to bond with the child at different development stages.

Fatherhood Institute deputy chief executive Jeremy Davies called the UK’s statutory paternity leave offer “one of the least generous in the developed world” and noted that “a fifth of dads aren’t even eligible, because they’re self-employed or haven’t worked for their employer for long enough”.

He added that “six weeks well-paid leave would bring huge benefits to children, mums, dads themselves and to UK plc”.