«Guardian»: MPs call for 12 weeks of paternity leave to address gender pay gap

Committee recommends laws forcing firms to offer new fathers flexible work patterns and ringfencing their leave

Britain must radically reform parental leave to encourage more fathers to take time off work, or it will never get to grips with the gender pay gap, an influential committee of MPs has recommended.

Fathers should get the option of 12 weeks’ paid, “use it or lose it” paternity leave to try and encourage greater male involvement in the young lives of children, the women and equalities select committee reports on Tuesday.

The government should also legislate to force businesses to offer men flexible patterns such as part-time work or unusual hours because many fathers complain that bosses do not understand their need to juggle work and family life.

“Parental leave and the gender pay gap are closely linked,” the committee chair, Maria Miller, told the Guardian. “Until we get it right for dads we can’t get it right for mums.”

The committee launched its inquiry last year in response to surveys and studies that showed many men still felt financially, professionally and culturally unable to take time off or downshift during the crunch early years of their children’s lives.

In particular, men said it was hard to persuade employers to take their request for leave seriously, and expressed concerns about being sidelined if they asked for flexible working patterns.

As a result, the numbers of fathers able to take time off, caring for their families and encouraging their wives to get back into work remains small.