More shared parental leave needed to cut gender pay gap, say MPs
The UK government must improve provision for shared parental leave in order to reduce the gender pay gap, according to an open letter from a cross-party group of MPs, supported by family and women’s charities. The letter followed last month’s report from the parliamentary women and equalities committee that claimed the government’s rejection of recommendations for three months of paid paternity leave and new strategies for low-paid work made it likely the pay gap would continue. The MPs’ letter demands three months of non-transferable paid paternal leave for second parents and support in “shifting cultural attitudes”.

The government must do more to improve the sharing of parental leave if it wants to reduce the gender pay gap, a cross-party group of almost 50 MPs has urged in a letter backed by women’s and family charities.

Organised by the Labour MP David Lammy, the letter to Justine Greening – who is minister for women and equalities as well as being education secretary – warns that the gender pay gap will never be tackled as long as women end up with disproportionate responsibility for childcare.

The letter, signed predominantly by Lammy’s Labour colleagues but also a handful of Conservative MPs as well as those from the Scottish National party, Liberal Democrats and Greens, follows a report last month by the women and equalities committee.

The cross-party committee had said ministers’ decision to reject a series of recommendations, including three months’ paid paternity leave, and strategies for low-paid jobs largely done by women in areas such as care, cleaning and retail, meant the pay gap was unlikely to close.

The letter says the MPs were “very disappointed” that the recommendations had been rejected, and by the low takeup of parental leave shared between mothers and fathers.

“We are particularly worried about gendered working culture that means that many men are worried that taking leave will be viewed negatively by their employer and limit their career,” they wrote.

“As the women and equalities committee report on the gender pay gap found, shared parental leave – the flagship policy in supporting parents to share care – is ‘predicted to make little difference to behaviour’.”

The letter calls for three months of non-transferable paid paternal leave for the second parent, as well as other measures to help both in practical terms and in “shifting cultural attitudes”.

Lammy, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on fatherhood, said it was “blindingly obvious” that progress on gender equality in and out of work was closely linked to having shared parental leave in place.

“The evidence is clear: fathers want to be more engaged. They want to spend more time with their children and they want to share the burden of parenthood equally, but they are worried that this will mean that they lose out at work and that their employer will penalise them,” he said.

Sam Smethers, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society charity, which campaigns for women’s rights, said the government needed “to catch up with the reality of family life”.

She said: “Fathers want to spend more time caring for their children but our outdated leave system holds them back. Addressing unequal caring roles will help tackle one of the most significant causes of the gender pay gap.”

A government spokesman said: “Shared parental leave gives working families more choice and flexibility, helping to close the gender pay gap and enable fathers to play a more active role in caring for their children.

“This government is committed to working with business and other groups to promote its benefits and help change attitudes on shared parenting.

“This is still a very new policy, which the government will continue to evaluate. The committee’s recommendations will form a part of that evaluation.”

Signatories of the letter:

David Lammy MP



Maria Miller MP

Dawn Butler MP

Ruth Cadbury MP

Stella Creasy MP

Vernon Coaker MP

Jim Cunningham MP

Flick Drummond MP

Frank Field MP

Caroline Flint MP

Mary Glindon MP

Roger Godsiff MP

Helen Grant MP

Neil Gray MP

Kate Green MP

Margaret Greenwood MP

Helen Hayes MP

Sharon Hodgson MP

Kelvin Hopkins MP

Dan Jarvis MP

Diana Johnson MP

Liz Kendall MP

Chris Leslie MP

Caroline Lucas MP – Green

Rachael Maskell MP

Conor McGinn MP

Alison McGovern MP

Madeleine Moon MP

Sarah Olney MP

Chi Onwurah MP

Kate Osamor MP

Jess Phillips MP

Lucy Powell MP

Yasmin Qureshi MP

Emma Reynolds MP

Joan Ryan MP

Naz Shah MP

Gavin Shuker MP

Tulip Siddiq MP

Ruth Smeeth MP

Cat Smith MP

Jeff Smith MP

Jo Stevens MP

Gareth Thomas MP

Catherine West MP

Chuka Umunna MP