A new survey into family law has found that the vast majority of people in the UK believe childcare should be split equally between both parents.
The survey, which questioned over 2,000 adults living in the UK, found that 53% of those questioned believed that caring for your child was an equal responsibility of parents. The poll, which was conducted through Opinion Matters by the government also found that 22% of those asked believed that each couple was unique and should be able to base the time spent caring for their children on their circumstances.
Changing Male Attitudes
The survey reflected the changing attitudes of the British public, with more than half of all males questioned believing it was important to spend an equal amount of time caring for their child, with 50% of females agreeing that splitting time was important. Six out of ten males also felt that by spending time caring for children equally it would create a strong bond, with 40% believing that it would benefit their relationship with their partner as it would allow them to go back to work.
25% of the general public believed that the care of the child should lie solely with the mother, highlighting the changing attitude in UK society.
Shared Parental Leave
The survey was conducted ahead of the shared parental leave policy which is to come into effect on 5th April this year. Shared parental leave grants parents 50 weeks of leave, 37 of which are paid, to care for their newborn child. The policy aims to aid new fathers who do not always get a similar time off work to new mothers, and aid families in raising young children.
Shared parental leave will allow parents to take time off in blocks to care for their child, allowing another parent to return to the world of work. The paternity leave will be agreed with employers allowing them greater time to plan work loads as well as give parents more time with their children. In the Opinion Matters poll 75% of fathers questioned stated they would have taken shared parental leave had it been available to them at the time, with two thirds of those surveyed stating they’d take it.
Four out of five expectant parents or those who were planning to have children claimed they would take shared parental leave when the time came for them to raise their child.
Flexibility for Families
Employment Relations Minister Jo Swinson said:“This survey shows people are rejecting dated stereotypes about the roles of men and women. Parenting is a shared endeavour and couples want more flexibility when they are adapting to the demands of a new baby.
“Shared Parental Leave will let couples choose how to share their childcare responsibilities in whatever way works best for them, and enable both parents to spend time developing that vital bond with their baby in the early stages.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “This Edwardian notion that women should stay at home while men go out and support the family has simply no place in this day and age.
“We know that mums and dads want more flexibility and choice when it comes to juggling their home and work lives.
“That’s why we’ve introduced Shared Parental Leave so that parents can make their own decisions about how to raise their family, whether it’s giving women the choice to go back to work earlier or men the opportunity to spend more time with their children.”
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