Half of families struggle financially when fathers take paternity leave, research suggests.
The TUC said a survey of 2,000 parents also revealed that half do not feel they were able to take enough time off work as paternity leave to support their families.
One in five parents told the TUC they did not take any paternity leave at all, mainly because they cannot afford to reduce their income.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the parental leave system needs an overhaul.
He said: “It’s not right that so many dads can’t afford to take time off work when their babies are born.
“The arrival of a newborn is one of the most special moments in life. No parent should miss out on these precious first days.
“Without better rights to well-paid leave, too many new parents will still miss out on spending time with their babies, and mums will continue to take on the bulk of caring.
“Ministers should give all dads better-paid paternity leave and create a new right to well-paid parental leave just for dads, that doesn’t rely on mums giving up some of their maternity leave.”
The survey also found that nearly one in five men are still doing some work while on paternity leave, rising to almost one in three part-time workers.
More than one in five do this because of the demands of their workload, and a similar percentage felt pressured by their employers, said the report.
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