Marks & Spencer and Tesco are among UK retailers leading the way in offering enhanced paternity leave benefits, providing six weeks of fully paid leave to new fathers—significantly exceeding the statutory minimum of two weeks. This development, according to recent research, underscores a growing divide in paternity leave provisions across different sectors, with retail emerging as notably more family-friendly compared to construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Joe Erskine, an employee at Marks & Spencer, highlighted the positive impact of the extended leave on his family life, noting that the six-week fully paid paternity leave allowed him to support his partner and adjust to fatherhood. M&S introduced this policy in 2024, and Erskine experienced its benefits following the birth of his second child 17 months ago. Alongside Tesco, other retailers such as Asda, Waitrose, and Lidl have upgraded their parental leave packages in recent years, collectively affecting nearly 650,000 workers.
Private-sector companies including Ikea, Lego, and Virgin Media O2 have also expanded their paternity leave offerings, reflecting a broader push among some employers to provide more substantial support to working fathers.
The shop workers’ union Usdaw, together with retail sector representatives, held a roundtable in the UK Parliament hosted by Labour MP Connor Rand to discuss the changes. Rand, who previously worked as a researcher for Usdaw before his election in 2024, emphasized the importance of paternity leave for bonding and family support. He warned that many fathers in the UK remain unable to take adequate leave, with negative consequences for fathers, partners, and children alike, calling for reforms to improve access.
Campaigners have long criticized the UK’s statutory paternity leave offer as among the least generous globally. The UK currently ranks 40th out of 43 countries surveyed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Fathers employed in the UK are entitled to two weeks’ paid leave at £194.32 weekly or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower. This rate amounts to less than half the national living wage and is widely viewed as insufficient.
While some employers supplement this statutory minimum with full salary payments or longer leave periods, disparities are evident across sectors. Studies by campaign group The Dad Shift reveal that although approximately 10% of working men are employed in construction, the sector makes up only about 7% of statutory paternity pay recipients. This gap may be partly explained by the high proportion of self-employed workers in construction and agriculture, who currently have no entitlement to paid paternity leave.
Within these sectors, firms typically offer less generous packages. For example, construction company JCB provides two weeks of fully paid paternity leave, up from three days previously, while engineering giant Rolls-Royce, whose workforce is over 80% male, maintains a two-week fully paid leave policy.
The issue has attracted political attention, with over 100 Labour MPs urging Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to back improved paternity leave provisions in the upcoming budget. Proposals include six weeks of leave paid at 90% of earnings, capped at £1,200 per week, and extending entitlements to self-employed fathers.
An ongoing 18-month government review of the UK’s parental leave framework is anticipated to issue recommendations before the end of the year, potentially shaping future policy to better support working fathers across all sectors.