Employers are being encouraged to review their family-leave policies as the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) calls for sweeping reforms to the UK’s parental-leave system. The proposals would significantly enhance rights for fathers and partners, aiming to drive equality, retention, and workplace culture change.
What’s being proposed
The WEC recommends:
Extending Statutory Paternity Leave from the current two weeks to up to six weeks,
Allowing the leave to be taken flexibly in separate blocks,
Introducing a compulsory element to encourage uptake, and
Increasing Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) to 90 % of earnings for at least the early weeks.
The Committee’s report highlights that the UK remains an outlier internationally, with many fathers unable to afford taking time off. It also calls for wider reform of family-related pay, suggesting rates be raised towards the Real Living Wage or 80–90 % of normal earnings to improve accessibility for lower-income households.
Government response and review timeline
In response, the Government has launched an 18-month review of the parental-leave system, beginning July 2025, to examine how family-leave policy can support women’s career progression and narrow the gender pay gap.
While ministers have rejected a “day-one” right to paid paternity leave for now, the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill will introduce day-one rights for unpaid paternity and parental leave from April 2026 — a move expected to extend eligibility to thousands of working parents currently excluded by length-of-service rules.
Employers are also advised to anticipate rule changes allowing paternity leave to be taken after Shared Parental Leave, and to expect stronger job-protection measures for new parents.
Employer checklist: preparing for reform
Map current policies against likely reform areas (paternity pay and duration, SPL simplification, self-employed coverage).
Plan for April 2026, when “day-one” rights for unpaid paternity and parental leave take effect.
Build workforce cover models for potential 4–6 week partner absences taken flexibly.
Track consultation milestones and Government updates through 2025–26; keep an internal log of developments.
Benchmark parental pay against market practice and model scenarios at 80–90 % pay for early weeks.
Avoid premature contractual promises — major pay and duration changes are not yet confirmed.
Promote equality messaging: encourage and normalise men taking leave to improve culture and retention.
Why this matters
If implemented, these reforms could mark the biggest shift in UK parental rights in over a decade. Employers should start scenario-planning now to ensure compliance, continuity, and competitiveness in talent attraction.
For HR leaders, the review period offers an opportunity to influence the future framework by engaging with consultations and contributing evidence on business impact and best practice.
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