Quarter of men agree new parents should share leave

Just under a quarter of men (23%) agree that parents should share parental leave, according to research by Glassdoor.

Its 2014 Parental leave survey, which surveyed 1,000 men and 1,000 women under the age of 50, also found that this figure rose to 31% among 18-24 year olds, but fell to 21% among those aged over 45.

Shared parental leave came into effect from today (1 December) for children born on or after 1 April 2015.

The research also found that 42% of male respondents would take minimum paternity leave after becoming a parent, and 12% would take the maximum paternity leave available while their partner took minimum maternity leave and returned to work.

The research also found that:

• 13% of men claim that both they and their partner would take the maximum amount of time possible off work after becoming parents. This figure is highest (16%) among those who each earn £40,000 to £60,000 per annum
• 19% of those earning £5,000 to £10,000 per annum would base the decision on which parent stays at home by selecting the parent that earns the least
• For 6% of UK couples, taking anything off other than the minimum maternity and paternity leave is their only option because they cannot afford other options.

Jon Ingham, Glassdoor career and workplace expert, said: “Employers are entering a legal minefield when it comes to shared parental leave, but I’m not convinced they quite realise it yet.

“The introduction of the new legislation will bring with it a high expectation from both men and women in the workplace.

“To deal with this adequately, [organisations] should have already drawn up staff policies in time for the introduction of the new legislation and made provisions to cover the extra costs, which are anticipated to hit a minimum of £17.1 million while take up is low in the first year.”