Should Fathers Be Given A Greater Amount Of Paternity Leave?
As most people are aware, when a woman becomes pregnant and they're in a relationship, it's traditionally the woman who takes time off once the baby is born (or starting just before the birth), a period of leave that's known as maternity leave.
At present, mothers in the UK are allowed to take one year off as maternity leave and be paid at least 90% of their salary for the first six months and an agreed sum thereafter, assuming that they've been employed with the same employer for 26 weeks at 15 weeks before they are due to give birth.
There are certain provisions in place should a woman not fit this criteria and the payment terms can be more attractive if a company wishes to provide them, but this is the general, basis requirement by law.
The issue that has arisen in the last few years in particular is that whilst many mothers do stay at home to look after their children following the birth, there is a growing percentage of women who don't want to play the role of the Mum living at home, preferring to return to work and have their partner perform the traditionally female duties.
The problem with this is that whilst paternity leave rules have changed in recent years to be more flexible, they are still relatively strict and are without doubt minimal in comparison to maternity leave.
According to UK law, all partners of a pregnant woman are entitled to two consecutive weeks off to assist their pregnant partner after the birth of their child (similar restrictions to maternity leave are in place to determine who qualifies) and although it isn't a possibility for every new father, there is now the opportunity to apply for an additional 26 weeks of paternity pay.
But is this really a sufficient amount of time if the mother would prefer to return to work soon after the birth and have the father look after the new born baby? Ask any father and whilst they're all likely to say no as they'd love to spend more time with their newborn child, most are likely to accept that the possibility of having 26 weeks paternity leave is a fair amount.
For those fathers who want to take on, in essence, the traditional duties of the mother and look after the newborn child, then 26 weeks simply isn't enough.
And even if they were to take an additional five weeks, using their annual leave entitlement, that still only allows them 31 consecutive weeks off - 21 weeks less than the mother.
There is no doubt that for many women who have just given birth to their baby, they would prefer to take the full 12 months maternity pay and spend the time raising their baby.
This is no longer the given option, however and whilst there is now a greater amount of flexibility for fathers to take time off once their baby is born, there is a growing, strong argument for the fact that fathers should be given the same leave allowance as mothers, particularly in respect of those instances when the mother wishes to return to work soon after the birth.
At present, mothers in the UK are allowed to take one year off as maternity leave and be paid at least 90% of their salary for the first six months and an agreed sum thereafter, assuming that they've been employed with the same employer for 26 weeks at 15 weeks before they are due to give birth.
There are certain provisions in place should a woman not fit this criteria and the payment terms can be more attractive if a company wishes to provide them, but this is the general, basis requirement by law.
The issue that has arisen in the last few years in particular is that whilst many mothers do stay at home to look after their children following the birth, there is a growing percentage of women who don't want to play the role of the Mum living at home, preferring to return to work and have their partner perform the traditionally female duties.
The problem with this is that whilst paternity leave rules have changed in recent years to be more flexible, they are still relatively strict and are without doubt minimal in comparison to maternity leave.
According to UK law, all partners of a pregnant woman are entitled to two consecutive weeks off to assist their pregnant partner after the birth of their child (similar restrictions to maternity leave are in place to determine who qualifies) and although it isn't a possibility for every new father, there is now the opportunity to apply for an additional 26 weeks of paternity pay.
But is this really a sufficient amount of time if the mother would prefer to return to work soon after the birth and have the father look after the new born baby? Ask any father and whilst they're all likely to say no as they'd love to spend more time with their newborn child, most are likely to accept that the possibility of having 26 weeks paternity leave is a fair amount.
For those fathers who want to take on, in essence, the traditional duties of the mother and look after the newborn child, then 26 weeks simply isn't enough.
And even if they were to take an additional five weeks, using their annual leave entitlement, that still only allows them 31 consecutive weeks off - 21 weeks less than the mother.
There is no doubt that for many women who have just given birth to their baby, they would prefer to take the full 12 months maternity pay and spend the time raising their baby.
This is no longer the given option, however and whilst there is now a greater amount of flexibility for fathers to take time off once their baby is born, there is a growing, strong argument for the fact that fathers should be given the same leave allowance as mothers, particularly in respect of those instances when the mother wishes to return to work soon after the birth.
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