Mumsnet calls on local government to Publish Parental Leave

Mumsnet’s Publish Parental Leave campaign began in 2019 in response to concerns from Mumsnet users that asking about parental leave policies at interview would jeopardise their chances of employment. 84% of Mumsnet users said employers’ parental leave policies are important for them when applying for or considering applying for a job, but two thirds say they’ve avoided asking about parental leave policies at the interview stage for fear of giving a bad impression.  

We have since campaigned for the government to make publication mandatory for large employers, and in the meantime, we are calling on employers to act voluntarily. As a result of the campaign, the number of FTSE100 companies that publish their parental leave policies has nearly doubled, rising from 23 in 2019 to 43 in our most recent analysis.

We are now turning our sights to local government, with CEO and founder Justine Roberts writing to every council leader in the country to ask them to ensure their local authority publishes its parental leave policies and to pass a motion backing the campaign.

Justine Roberts, Founder and CEO of Mumsnet said:

“Publishing your organisation’s parental leave policies is a small, cost-free change that attracts and retains talent, helps tackle the gender pay gap and allows potential employees to make informed decisions about their future.

“Local Government can lead the way on this.  We’d like to see every local authority in the country publish their parental leave policies and help make families’ lives easier”.  

Motion

This Council notes:
 

• Polling from Mumsnet found 82% of parents and prospective parents say they are reluctant to ask potential employers about parental leave policies for fear of experiencing discrimination.

• The gender pay gap remains stubbornly high - 14.3% in 2023

• 96% of businesses or organisations representing businesses supported proposals in the government’s 2019 "Good Work Plan"

• Publishing parental leave is a small, cost-free change that encourages a race to the top for employers, helps tackle the gender pay gap and allows potential employees to make informed decisions about their futures.
   

This Council resolves to:

• Publish our parental leave policies in a prominent place on our public-facing website, including the number of weeks of leave parents can expect, and at what proportion of their usual salary, along with any qualifying period, for maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.

• Work with local employers to encourage them to publish their parental leave policies.