Research has unveiled a list of all 165 UK employers offering equal parental leave, offering on average 20 weeks’ paternity leave on full pay.
Equal parental leave policies ensure that any parent, regardless of gender, family structure or route to parenthood, is entitled to the same amount of paid time off to care for their new child.
The full findings will be formally launched at the UK’s first Working Dads’ Summit on 23 September, hosted by Parenting Out Loud, a workplace culture change programme.
The research highlights the growing number of businesses recognising the importance of supporting dads to take an equal role in parenting, with clear benefits for families, gender equality, business productivity and the economy.
The UK has one of the least generous statutory paternity packages in Europe. Fathers, and other eligible non-birthing partners, are entitled to just two weeks of statutory paternity leave. Statutory paternity pay is either £187.18 per week as of April 2025, or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. This is 43% lower than the national living wage.
Of the 165 UK employers offering equal parental leave, 72 offer dads up to six months’ fully-paid paternity leave, with the average being 20 weeks. Another benefit of the leave is that it can often be taken in two parts. Many dads will take a period of leave when their baby is first born, and another when their partner returns to work.
Employers that have introduced equal parental leave and offer supportive workplace cultures have seen significant impact in terms of recruitment, retention, staff wellbeing and gender balance, according to Parenting Out Loud.
The research shows that the organisations offering equal parental leave overwhelmingly sit in the financial services, legal and FMCG sectors, followed by publishing, consulting and charity sectors.
Elliott Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud, said: “Supporting dads to be equal parents is good for everybody. It is essential for workplace gender equality, with 80% of the gender pay gap attributed to the motherhood penalty. It’s essential to improve parents’ wellbeing as one in five mums and one in 10 dads experience some symptoms of post-natal depression. And it’s essential for children as the benefit of strong paternal involvement in the early years supports wellbeing and resilience outcomes.
“Policy alone is not enough. Businesses must invest in culture change work to normalise male caring and support dads to Parent Out Loud at work; taking the full parental leave available, requesting flexible working for childcare reasons and having an open diary with their childcare responsibilities. It’s the policy and culture change together that supports society to move away from some of the harmful and narrow traditional ideas of masculinity and evolve what it means to be a man and a dad for the benefit of everybody.”
A government call for evidence on parental leave and pay closed on 26 August.
The full list of employers offering equal parental leave is:
