Inadequate parental leave is pushing parents back to work too soon, according to the Working Families Index 2025

A mother kisses her newborn, sharing a quiet moment of love.

The new Working Families Index report has found that almost two in 10 families have gone into debt to cover childcare costs, while four in 10 mothers said they couldn’t take the time off they needed after the birth of their child due to financial concerns.

Alongside childcare costs that remain devastatingly high, the Working Families Index, which surveyed over 3,000 working parents in the UK, has released some stark findings about how the UK’s parental leave system is failing new families.

With financial pressures and patchy entitlements leaving parents unable to take the time they need to care for their newborns, the study found that four in 10 mothers said they couldn’t take the time they needed after the birth of their child, while one in five fathers had no entitlement to parental leave at all.

For many, money was the deciding factor: 47% of parents said they couldn’t afford to take more time off, while seven in 10 fathers who didn’t take their full two weeks of statutory paternity leave said financial worries were the reason. Mothers concerned about finances also returned to work eight weeks earlier than those without.

The report also found that almost two in 10 families have gone into debt, while over three in 10 have used their savings to cover childcare costs. Four in 10 parents reported that cost prevents them from using as much formal childcare as they’d like, and six in 10 families said accessing the childcare they need puts a strain on their finances.

Families are being forced to make impossible choices

“The UK’s approach to parental leave is putting new parents under immense financial pressure. Families are being forced to make impossible choices at the most critical time, often returning to work before they’re ready, simply because they can’t afford not to,” said Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, of the findings. “Our research shows that when decent parental leave is on offer, parents take it. But too many still don’t have access to adequate parental leave.”

“The UK’s parental leave system is stuck in the past,” added Anna Whitehouse, campaigner, author and founder of Mother Pukka. “Two weeks of paternity leave, if you’re even entitled to it, doesn’t cut it. It’s not enough time to support a partner recovering from birth, not enough time to find your feet as a new parent and certainly not enough time to build anything close to equality at home.

“When dads are forced back to work after days, not weeks, the pressure piles on mums – physically, mentally, emotionally. Decent paid leave for both parents shouldn’t just be on a wishlist; it’s the way we build stronger families, healthier workplaces and a more equal future for the next generation.” Source: https://www.stylist.co.uk/news/yazidi-genocide-violence-against-women/986223