Women who took parental leave reported slowed career progression (23%), being left out of key decisions (20%), and being given less challenging work (16%).
Staff whose baby is born premature will receive extra paid leave, building on existing neonatal leave as part of the firm’s wider family-friendly policies.
The Maternal and Parental Coaching Services focus on helping parents prepare for leave, stay connected, and return to work with personal and career goals in mind.
More than one in seven women (14%) who have children or are expecting a child have lost their job, or felt forced to leave their role.
40% of mothers turned down promotions because of childcare, and fewer than one in five returned to full-time work after maternity leave.
The report from Parenting Out Loud found that, of the 165 employers with EPL, 72 allowed up to six months fully paid paternity leave.
The Growth Spurt Return to Work Research Paper found that 73% said they did not get the support they needed, and 26% left their job because of it.
The review will examine all aspects of parental leave, including maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave, with the aim of making the system fairer, easier to access, and more effective.
The policy, modelled on similar schemes in countries such as Spain, France and the Netherlands, would be a significant step toward gender equality and improved labour market outcomes for families.
The Working Families Index 2025 found that nearly half (47%) of parents said they could not afford more time off.
The university will work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to train career coaches across its 600 Jobcentres.
Resume.io research revealed that statutory maternity pay (SMP) for 2025 rose slightly to £187.18 per week after the first six weeks.