Research undertaken by commercial law firm EMW, has revealed that only 8,700 new parents made use of the shared parental leave system in the last year, accounting for less than 1% of those that were eligible.
Commenting on the latest figures, EMW attributed the low uptake numbers to a “cultural stigma” surrounding men who decided to take time off work to care for their children and their concern about the impact a lengthy period off work might have on their careers. In addition, EMW suggested that parents felt as if they could not afford to take the time off work due to the additional financial pressures of parenthood.
