10 months paternity leave for dads?

Dads could enjoy more paid time off to bond with their baby

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is set to announce proposals that could see paternity entitlement for dads extended to 10 months around 2015. Currently, men are able to take two weeks paid time off after the birth of their baby while mums can take up to 52 weeks maternity leave (though not all of this is paid).

Both mums and dads can currently take up to 13 weeks unpaid leave for each child under the age of 5 (called Parental Leave). From April this year, new parents will have more flexibility with maternity and paternity leave, with dads able to take up to six months of a mum’s 52 weeks leave.

The new scheme would mean from around 2015, parents could share out the leave more freely. Mums would still get the first six weeks (with statutory maternity pay) and dads would keep the current two weeks paid paternity leave, but the rest could go to either parent.

“More and more fathers want to play a hands-on role with their young children but too many feel that they can’t,” Clegg is expected to say. “It’s madness that we are denying them that chance.”

The Coalition want to make it easier for parents to share parental leave by working with employers to allow dads to take time off in blocks to help with childcare.  This has been welcomed by parenting groups but others are concerned about how the plans could harm small businesses.

“This shows a complete lack of understanding of how small businesses operate and the pressures that are placed on employers with the existing maternity rules,” said Andrew Cave, from the Federation of Small Businesses.  “When you lose someone on maternity leave at the moment you could lose a quarter of your workforce. This doubles the risk.”

The Coalition plans to introduce the changes by 2015.