Four in ten new dads have said they will not take up their new paternity leave rights over fears about their job security.
A new survey, from price comparison website uSwitch.com, shows that 41% of new fathers questioned, said that they would not be taking up the chance of having six months off. The government changes, coming into effect next month, state that new fathers will be able to take up to six months paternity leave if their partner returns to work. However the 1,000 men questioned in the survey, said that, though the time off they took after the birth of their previous child was insufficient, they would be reluctant to take six months off due to fears over their career and finances.
Over half said that they would not be taking the time off due to financial concerns while almost the same percentage said that they would not be able to take the extended paternity leave because of their line of work. A third of those questioned also said that they feared the effect that the extended break would have on their career.
Britain currently has just two weeks paternity leave allowed per year, paid at the fixed rate of £123.06, in contrast to most other European countries which give much greater allowances. Ann Robinson, director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, said that the new legislation, while welcome, is only part of the solution. She said: “The biggest fight will be to change social opinion, fears and prejudices and this is not going to happen overnight.”