Suffolk charity backs calls for longer paternity leave as campaign gathers momentum
Currently, paternity leave in the UK only allows two weeks off.
A charity supporting separated parents says the UK needs to do more to help fathers spend time with their children, as campaigners renew calls for longer and better-paid paternity leave.
Why they're calling for change
The comments come as a national campaign backed by fathers' groups and campaigners highlight concerns that the UK's statutory paternity leave offer is among the least generous in Europe. Campaigners are calling for six weeks of paid leave for fathers and second parents during a child's first year.
Currently, paternity leave in the UK only allows two weeks off. More information on what options are available to parents can be found here.
Could the changes benefit everyone?
Sam Morfey, Chief Executive of Both Parents Matter, said improving paternity leave could benefit children, parents and wider society.
He said: "We have the lowest paternity leave in Europe and certainly we support all moves to improve both the length of time of paternity leave and also the pay which is given during the paternity leave."
Mr Morfey said the current system means some families cannot afford for fathers to take the leave available to them.
He said: "Particularly for those on a lower income, they can't afford to take the paternity leave. So it does seem to be a preserve more of the better off, and those can afford to take it."
The charity, which has supported parents for more than 50 years, works primarily with separated fathers who are struggling to maintain relationships with their children following family breakdown.
Mr Morfey argued that time spent with both parents during a child's earliest years can have long-term benefits.
He said: "All the evidence shows that they've got a secure attachment, a secure relationship with both parents that then helps them very much in later life."
Challenging stereotypes
He believes longer leave would also help challenge traditional assumptions about parenting roles.
Mr Morfey said: "What we see is that by improving parental leave early on, it is part of changing society's attitudes towards fathers, where both parents are seen as equal and complementary parental figures."
Campaigners are calling for fathers to receive two weeks of leave immediately after birth, followed by an additional four weeks within the first year, paid at a higher rate than is currently available.
Mr Morfey said he took two weeks' paternity leave when his own child was born and would have welcomed more time.
Asked whether he would have liked longer leave, he replied: "Oh, definitely, yes."
While acknowledging any expansion would come at a cost, he argued it should be viewed as an investment rather than an expense.
He said: "This is actually an investment in the future. It's not just wasteful welfare spending, it's actually very valuable welfare spending."
Current statutory paternity leave in the UK allows eligible fathers and partners to take up to two weeks off work following the birth or adoption of a child. Campaigners say reform is needed to bring the UK closer in line with other European countries and enable more fathers to take an active role in early childcare.