A mum from Gloucestershire has taken part in a stunt to highlight the inadequacy of the UK’s statutory paternity leave.
Baby grows were hung outside Gloucester Cathedral spelling “two weeks isn’t enough” by mum Charlie Hutton from Stonehouse.
The stunt aims to draw attention to new research showing 45% of UK fathers experience multiple symptoms of depression or anxiety after having a baby, with 82% calling better paternity leave the government’s top priority.
To highlight the mental health cost of this inadequate support, more than 100 supporters – including 15 MPs – took part in a nationwide stunt on Sunday. Across over 100 locations, from Premier League stadiums to the White Cliffs of Dover, they hung baby grows on washing lines spelling out “Two weeks isn’t enough.”
Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: “The UK’s rubbish paternity leave is trashing dads’ mental health. Fathers are being forced back to work before they’re ready and when they’re needed most. These men are caught between the stress of keeping their families afloat financially, trying to be there for their partners and new babies, and the demand to perform at work as if nothing has changed. They have little choice but to suffer in silence and try to soldier on, even if it breaks them.”
Poor paternity leave also impacts mothers. Without support, many are left to cope alone at the exact moment they’re most vulnerable to postpartum depression themselves. Analysis from PwC suggests better paternity leave could prevent 500,000 cases of perinatal depression over the next 20 years, saving the NHS £1.4 billion.
Campaigners are urging the government to include longer, better-paid paternity leave in its upcoming Men’s Health Strategy – and calling on families to back the reform through the public consultation now open.