Equalities Commission: Give dads more paternity leave

Tue 15 Jul 2008

The Equalities Commission has called for fathers to be given improved paternity leave.

Current legislation is reinforcing the belief it is women who should pay the career price for having a child, chief executive Nicola Brewer said.

"No-one is suggesting that women should not have the rights they have to maternity leave, what we are saying is that dads need a slice of the action too."

Ms Brewer praised legislation, which increased rights for women in the workplace but asked should fathers not be entitled to 12 weeks leave on 90 per cent pay.

She also explored the flexible working debate, saying the entire workforce could benefit from a wider adoption of its practices.

Several opportunities exist for shared posts, a secretary or a call centre operator could adopt the commission's recommendations, although some industrial jobs might not yet find them suitable.

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