2 Jul 2021
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The UK is rated highly by WageIndicator Foundation for many labour indexes, including family responsibility.
1 July 2021 – The UK is rated highly by WageIndicator Foundation for many labour indexes, including family responsibility. Male workers are entitled to one or two weeks' paternity leave within 56 days of childbirth. They are paid £136.78 per week.
Male employees also have the right to additional paternity leave ranging from two to 26 weeks before their child's first birthday. Fathers can only take paternity leave after the birth of the child. For male employees to qualify for paternity leave, they have to be continuously employed for a minimum of 26 weeks ending with the week immediately preceding the 14th week before the expected date of delivery.
Both male and female workers who have worked for their employer for one year have the right to unpaid parental leave. They are entitled to 18 weeks' unpaid leave before the child is five or before 18 years of age if the child is disabled. The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 which came into effect in 2020, grants employed parents a right to two weeks' paid leave if they lose a child under the age of 18.
The working conditions are also flexible for employees who have to take care of their children or adult dependents. If the employer does not allow flexible working time, they are punishable with a penalty and indirect discrimination claims. The parental leave situation in the United Kingdom is very different from the United States. The latter gave the right to avail unpaid parental leave from the year 1993. There has been no successful effort in the United States to give its workers paid leave at a federal level.
The Employment Rights Act (ERA) empowers the citizens of the UK with rights such as unfair dismissal rights, notice before dismissal and time off given to parents, among others. The Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 ensures the right for fathers to have a minimum of two weeks of paid leave. The salary for male employees under the Act is £140.98 as of 2017. Find out more about working families in the UK