Working parents protesting as they call for more support
Campaign groups Flex Appeal and the Dad Shift have planned protests across the UK, including Downing Street, Holyrood and the Welsh Senedd
Working parents are joining protests today to call for more support for mums and dads who are juggling a job and family life.
Events are taking place in towns and cities across the country, including Downing Street, Holyrood and the Welsh Senedd organised by campaign groups Flex Appeal and the Dad Shift.
The groups are calling for companies to embrace flexible working by default and for six weeks’ paternity leave, paid at 90% of salary, as a Government review on parental leave nears its final stages.
"People say: ‘Don’t have a baby if you can’t afford it.’ "
Dr Jeremy Davies of the Fatherhood Institute said:
“People say: ‘Don’t have a baby if you can’t afford it.’ Well, our new figures confirm that for lower-income couples in the UK, having a baby in 2026 means plunging yourselves into serious debt.
“It’s mums who bear the brunt, thanks to our hugely gendered parental leave system that treats fathers like workhorses and mothers like unpaid interns.”
The Fatherhood Institute said its research found that new parents in the UK faced “significant financial impacts” in their baby’s first year, driven by reduced income and increased expenses.
Average earning couples see their joint income fall by about 34%, it was suggested.