Petition · past parliament
Make Paternity Leave equal to Mat. leave to give new parents more family time.
Closed
176 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently, Paternity Leave is unfair. Gov.uk states fathers and partners of pregnant women can:
- only have 2 weeks leave, which must end within 56 days of the birth
- not take leave before the birth
- only take extra leave through Shared Parental Leave IF the mother is also eligible for SPL.
- only have 2 weeks leave, which must end within 56 days of the birth
- not take leave before the birth
- only take extra leave through Shared Parental Leave IF the mother is also eligible for SPL.
The way in which Paternity Leave is currently available does not allow adequate family time to bond and support before one parent must return to work. The change this petition implores the government to implement is:
Make Paternity Leave equal to Maternity leave, with the same guidelines for pay, duration and when it can be taken, to enable fathers/partners to support the mother through the last few weeks of pregnancy, and to allow more quality family and bonding time with new baby.
Make Paternity Leave equal to Maternity leave, with the same guidelines for pay, duration and when it can be taken, to enable fathers/partners to support the mother through the last few weeks of pregnancy, and to allow more quality family and bonding time with new baby.
Timeline
| 1 Sep 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 1 Mar 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
176
Status
Closed
Opened
1 Sep 2020
Closed
1 Mar 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.