Written evidence from Dr Laura Fumagalli, Dr Greta Morando, Dr Sonkurt Sen [SPL0041] [House of Commons. Women and Equalities Committee. Equality at work: paternity and shared parental leave inquiry]

Publication type

Parliamentary Paper

Authors

Publication date

February 12, 2025

Summary:

We collect new data from a representative sample of UK residents of childbearing age who are married, cohabiting, or in stable relationships. We use vignettes to elicit respondents' expected returns from transferring weeks of SPL (Shared Parental Leave) from the mother to the father. We also gather information on respondents' gender attitudes and the financial and non-financial barriers to SPL take-up. Finally, we employ a randomized survey experiment that simulates the effects of an information campaign about the non-financial benefits of SPL on respondents' perceptions of these benefits and support for SPL.

Our research is the first to provide unique insights into how people perceive the longer-term equality impacts of SPL on children's and mothers' health, mothers’ labour market participation and children’s education, as well as on future equal sharing of caring duties. Our study also provides crucial evidence on the reasons behind low SPL take-up and offers suggestions on how to increase it. Additionally, it helps reconsider the role of the current maternal transfer in favour of a fully joint right.

Subjects

Links

- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/pdf/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/pdf/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/html/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/pdf/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/pdf/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/137265/html/
- https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8697/equality-at-work-paternity-and-shared-parental-leave/publications/

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