A survey by Mumsnet has revealed that a third of men did not take their full paternity leave entitlement because the statutory rate of £138 just wasn’t enough to live on.
Only one in six employers top up paternity leave pay, leaving those dads to use annual leave to spend time with their newborns and partners. In all, one in six fathers took fewer than five days away from work after the birth of their child. Two thirds put that down to financial concerns.
The current system has been described as “Edwardian” by the government who say they have encouraged big businesses to offer enhanced paternity packages.
To read more about how being a father affects your career, read this news story from earlier this week.
I was extremely fortunate that my employer paid 2 full weeks pay when our little one was born. I then took 2 weeks holidays so had the first month together. I am now in a 13 week stint of additional paternity leave while my wife returned to work. The way I saw it was one of us would be getting £138 per week and our jobs meant we could achieve a better family life doing what we are doing. I get paid for the first time since starting tomorrow which should be an eye opener…….ITV`S This Morning programme ran a story today reflecting what you are saying..
http://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain/news/two-thirds-of-dads-using-annual-leave-after-new-birth
http://wp.me/5j2mt,
funkydaddy.wordpress.com
I guess, that’s part of parenthood – sacrificing and assessing what works best for you and your family.
Reblogged this on funkydaddy and commented:
Some interesting but not surprising stats in this article…..very relevant to me in my current position of being daddy day care!