New research has suggested that inadequate parental leave is pushing parents back to work too soon after their newborns arrive.
According to the Working Families Index 2025, a large-scale survey of over 3,000 working parents, 4 in 10 mothers said they couldn’t take the time they needed after the birth of their child. One in five fathers had no entitlement to parental leave at all.
Where enhanced parental leave is available through employers, parents take it and for longer. Fathers with enhanced leave took three and a half weeks more than those without. Mothers with enhanced leave took an average of six additional weeks.
But for many, money was the deciding factor:
- 47% of parents said they couldn’t afford to take more time off.
- 7 in 10 fathers who didn’t take their full two weeks of statutory paternity leave said money worries were the reason.
- Mothers concerned about finances returned to work eight weeks earlier than those without money worries.
Responding to the findings, campaigner, author, and founder of Mother Pukka, Anna Whitehouse, said: “The UK’s parental leave system is stuck in the past. Two weeks of paternity leave, if you’re even entitled to it, doesn’t cut it. It’s not enough time to support a partner recovering from birth, not enough time to find your feet as a new parent, and certainly not enough time to build anything close to equality at home.
“When dads are forced back to work after days, not weeks, the pressure piles on mums – physically, mentally, emotionally. Decent paid leave for both parents shouldn’t just be on a wish list, it’s the way we build stronger families, healthier workplaces and a more equal future for the next generation.
Elliott Rae, speaker, author and founder of the movement ‘Parenting Out Loud’ added: “These findings confirm what so many dads have experienced for years: paternity leave in the UK simply isn’t good enough. Two weeks, often unpaid or low paid, doesn’t give fathers the chance to properly support their partner, care for their baby, or adjust to life as a new parent.
“When dads can’t take time off, the pressure lands heavily on mothers. This isn’t just a dads’ issue – this is about supporting the whole family. If we’re serious about equality, serious about mental health, and serious about giving children the best start in life, we need to rethink our parental leave system. That means better paid, longer paternity leave and a cultural shift that values dads as caregivers, not just breadwinners.
Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said: “The UK’s approach to parental leave is putting new parents under immense financial pressures. Families are being forced to make impossible choices at the most critical time, often returning to work before they’re ready, simply because they can’t afford not to. Our research shows that when decent parental leave is on offer, parents take it. But too many still don’t have access to adequate parental leave.”
The findings add to growing calls for stronger parental leave rights and better financial support for families in the early months of a child’s life. Working Families is urging employers to offer enhanced parental leave and for policymakers to review statutory provision so that all families have a fair chance to care for their children without financial penalty.
You can read the full report here.
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