New plans to extend fathers' parental leave rights

New plans to extend fathers' parental leave rights

The government hopes to encourage fathers to spend more time with their children by changing the emphasis of family policy and extending their rights, it was revealed today.

They plan to make it easier for them to take paternity and parental leave, and to work flexible hours.

Labour sources told the Independent the aim is to help mothers who want to work and fathers who want to spend more time with their children.

Paternity leave may be made more adaptable. Plans to give fathers the right to take the second half of paid "maternity" leave, when it is extended to a year in 2010, may be made more flexible.

And Labour has already said it will extend the right to ask to work part-time or flexible hours to all parents of children up to the age 16. The current cut-off age is six.

The moves come after criticism that current laws favouring mothers unintentionally lead to discrimination at work.

Some employers, including Sir Alan Sugar, have said maternity rights deter them from employing women of childbearing age.

That led the chief executive of the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, Nicola Brewer, to urge a rebalancing of policy with emphasis on both parents.

"There has been a sea change on maternity leave and flexible work and we welcome that, but [the legislation] has not freed parents and given them real choice," she said.

Women's rights campaigners the Fawcett Society also believe previous policies extending.....continued below

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paid maternity leave have unintentionally entrenched the idea only mothers need time off to care for babies.

Kat Banyard, campaigns officer, said: "This is an oddity in terms of the European situation. There are very few other countries where they have such a length of leave that's exclusively for the woman."

The society said the existing two weeks' paternity leave was taken by only a fifth of fathers, partly because those taking it are entitled to only £117 a week.

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