Why Paternity Leave Matters to Mums Too: Our Experience of The Parent Strike
On Thursday 27 August, I took my 11-year-old daughter to Manchester to join The Parent Strike, organised by The Dad Shift and Mother Pukka.
The campaign called for:
At least six weeks of paternity leave at 90% pay
Paid paternity leave for self-employed parents
Flexible working by default
I joined because paternity leave matters to mums too.
Why paternity leave matters to mothers
I took maternity leave 14 and 12 years ago. At the time, my husband was self-employed and couldn’t realistically afford to take paternity leave, so he continued working while I stayed at home with our children.
After a year, I returned to employment. But returning to work didn’t mean returning to my old life.
I continued managing the childcare, appointments, school information, routines, clothes, food, forms and family organisation. I returned to my job, but I also kept the invisible work that had built up at home.
That experience showed me how easily mothers become the default parent when parental leave is unequal from the beginning.
Two weeks of paternity leave is not enough
Under the current UK system, eligible parents can take just one or two weeks of statutory paternity leave. In 2026/27, statutory paternity pay is £194.32 per week, or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
For many families, that means taking a significant financial loss at a time when household costs have increased. Self-employed parents currently have no statutory paternity pay.
My husband wasn’t choosing between work and a couple of weeks at home. He was trying to build a business, and the system gave him very little practical support to be present during those important early weeks.
Two weeks may also be nowhere near enough time for a mother to recover after birth. Some women are recovering from significant tearing, assisted deliveries, caesarean sections or traumatic births when their partner’s leave ends.
Paternity leave supports equal parenting
Better paternity leave gives dads and non-birthing parents time to bond with their baby and become confident, active parents.
It also helps establish parenting as a shared responsibility. Without that opportunity, one parent can quickly become the “expert”, while the other becomes the “helper”.
That imbalance can continue long after maternity leave ends.
When mothers return to work while still managing most of the childcare and mental load, they are effectively doing two jobs. This can affect their careers, relationships, wellbeing and sense of identity.
Why this matters to Mum Love
At Mum Love, we talk about maternal transformation — the physical, emotional, psychological and social changes that happen when someone becomes a mother.
Becoming a mother is a major life transition. It shouldn’t also mean automatically becoming responsible for every part of family life.
This isn’t about blaming mums or dads. It’s about changing a system that still assumes mothers will take on the majority of unpaid care.
Parental leave should be fair, affordable and available to all families, regardless of whether someone works for a large company, a small business or themselves.
Employers need support too
I’m not only a mum; I’m also a co-founder of a growing business.
We offer flexible and hybrid working, a 35-hour week, health benefits and other support for colleagues. However, we don’t currently financially enhance statutory parental leave.
Small businesses want to support their employees, but enhanced leave can be difficult to fund sustainably. That is why better parental leave cannot depend entirely on individual employers.
It needs government support and consistent legal rights, rather than becoming a workplace perk available only to some parents.
What I hope my daughter learns
Standing with other parents in Manchester made me think about what my daughter is learning about work, care and family life.
She is growing up knowing that women and men can build careers, care for children and share responsibility. But those values need to be reflected in the systems around us.
I joined The Parent Strike because becoming a mother shouldn’t mean becoming responsible for everything.
Better paternity leave is not just about giving dads more time off. It is about supporting mothers, strengthening families, improving workplace equality and giving children a more balanced view of parenting.
Paternity leave is a women’s issue, a family issue and a workplace issue.
