Number of men opting to take paternity leave increases by 14%

The number of male workers taking paternity leave has increased by a significant 14% in a single year a recent report by Pinsent Masons claims. It is estimated that the number of men claiming paternity pay jumped from 170,000 in the year 2008/2009 to 194,000 in the year to March 2010.

Whilst this does suggest a favourable change in attitudes towards paternity leave in the workplace, amongst both employers and male employees, there are still a significant number of men who choose not to take paternity leave. As a result there is still great disparity between the number of men and women taking leave in the weeks following the birth of a child. In the year to March 2010, 602,000 women received Statutory Maternity Pay, over three times as many as the number of men for the same period.

A further finding of the report shows there was a 23% increase in the amount of Statutory Paternity paid out in the year to March 2010, from £35million to £43million. This suggests that as well as an increase in the number of men taking paternity leave, there has also been an increase in the amount of paternity leave each individual is taking.

Whilst the government is keen to encourage fathers to take advantage of their entitlement to paternity leave, many employers have spoken out against the introduction of any further measures to encourage more men to exercise this right, fearing these will add to red tape and hinder management of staffing levels.

In April of last year the Government extended the period men were able to claim Statutory Maternity Pay up to 26 weeks where their partner has returned to work. The aim of the increase is to allow parents to split their leave entitlement as best suits their circumstances. It is expected that this will lead to further increases both in the number of men taking paternity leave and the length of paternity leave being taken.

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