Shared Parental Leave vs Standard Paternity Leave (2014-2025)
In 2024/25, 216,300 dads took standard paternity leave. Only 11,300 took Shared Parental Leave.
Shared Parental Leave was introduced in April 2015. A decade later, take-up among men remains at around 5%. Source: HMRC RTI data.
Shared Parental Leave Take-up by Region (2023/24)
As a % of dads who took standard paternity leave in the same year
Shared Parental Leave by Income Decile (2024/25)
28% of SPL takers are in the top 10% of earners. In the bottom 30%: virtually zero.
On statutory pay of £184/week, most families cannot afford for the higher earner (usually the dad) to take extended leave. SPL disproportionately benefits those who can afford it.
Who Takes Shared Parental Leave? The Gender Shift (2014-2025)
SPL started as 95% male. By 2024/25 it was 50/50 - mums returning to work early now drives take-up as much as dads taking more leave.
What the data tells us
- SPL launched in 2015. A decade later, only 1 in 20 dads who take paternity leave use it.
- The dads who do take it use 12 weeks on average - six times longer than standard paternity leave.
- It is disproportionately a perk for higher earners. On £184/week statutory pay, most families simply cannot afford it.
- London dads are more than twice as likely to take SPL as dads in Scotland or West Midlands.
- The gender balance just hit 50/50 for the first time - mums returning to work early is now the dominant driver of SPL take-up.
Source: HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system, April 2014 to March 2025. Published September 2025. These figures are subject to revision. Full dataset: gov.uk/government/publications/parental-leave-and-pay-evidence-hmrc-data-covering-april-2014-to-march-2025