To think that if Labour increase paternity pay to £260pwk they need to increase maternity pay to the same amount?

[Jackieharris]

I don't mean this as a general kick at labour but it strikes me as un- thought out and inequitous that under their proposal men on paternity pay will get £260pwk for 4 weeks whilst the woman is on maternity pay of £140?

I know some/most? New mums get smp which is usually higher than the basic maternity allowance of £140pwk but for those who do only get the basic amount isn't it a bit unfair that their partners will be entitled to £120pwk more just because they are men?

I am in support of more paternity leave and pay so think that in principal it's a good idea I just think whoever has come up with the detail hasn't noticed this anomaly.

It raises the wider (dare I say it, feminist?) question about why it appears that political parties think they need to offer men bigger 'bribes' to take parental leave the women. Of course this does overlap with the wider issues of the gender pay gap.

It is indirect discrimination in that it indirectly financially disadvantages single mums.

There used to be different payment of child benefit/family allowance paid to single parents. I can't see why there couldn't be a special rate of maternity pay for single mums so all families/children are entitled to the same amount of government funding.

Its still only two weeks though. As a sahm I received no support for my last 2 dc. Had I woh and dh sah I would have been able to take leave but we couldn't afford fo this way round.

Single mums are financially disadvantaged because they are single mums, not because they don't get a benefit that is intended to be paid to fathers.

By that logic, couples who claim benefits are discriminated against because they are financially disadvantaged by being in a couple, and not getting as much money as they would if they were single.

Single parents are catered for in other ways.

Nobody is saying there shouldn't be paternity pay. We are disagreeing with the idea that it should be higher than maternity pay.

Ptolemy, re your point about women who earn more pre-pregnancy probably getting more than SMP - nooooope, not the case at all.

I earn (marginally) more than DH. My employer offers the legal minimum for maternity. I am on a kind of middle wage within the company (mid-range grade, my grade probably makes up the vast majority of employees) but the same would stand even if I was senior management and bringing in £60k.

We are actually in a very lucky position in that DH's employer offers full pay for the two week paternity leave, which is quite generous really. (They let the side down in other areas, but that's by the by.)

But to the original point of this post: I agree, I think, that maternity pay should be in line with paternity. I would be interested to see studies on how many employers offer more than the legal minimum. I have friends who work for the NHS (and other organisations) who were horrified when they found out what the minimum is. Cue a lot of "but how are you going to cope?!" etc. (My answer, always, is "well, we just will", but through very gritted teeth!)

Yes I knew someone who had worked for the same employer for 20 years continuously before going on mat leave. Even though the boss was a well known multimillionaire she only got smp. I thought that was disgraceful.

I think someone posted up thread that only 1/4 women get more than smp.

In some cases the ability to take full mat leave is a privilege only affordable to couples who can live off the husband's wage for 9 months. For those dependent on the mothers wage they don't have a choice but to pass it up and got back after the 6 weeks at 90%.

YANBU

why does a man need more £ at this time than the person who is sah and looking after the child? if the argument is that the father cannot afford to take the time off if the amount is only statutory- and that is the same amount being provided to a woman- then it is the amount that is not enough- and the amount relates to both a man and a woman... and if it can only be topped up to one party (because the country cannot afford to do this otherwise), then the recipient of the top up should be the woman. i dont see how this would 'discourage' fathers from taking the time off- as if it is extra money that would encourage this, then the extra money has gone to the mother so the family isnt 'worse off' its just redistributed differently. This would also get around the single mum and MA issue.

Good point- lateatwork

Well my dh couldn't contemplate taking time off for £140 pw and had limited holiday so I had to get on with looking after 3 dc on day 5 following a csection. The extra would have really helped.

TedAndLola - have you looked in Additional Paternity Leave? www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave/overview

I don't know how I feel about it, to be perfectly frank!!

I guess you could see it as the gov trying to give an incentive for the male partner to actually take paternity leave?

I get that it's a bit weird to give each parent a different amount, but the mother gets to take much more time off - so the mother gets more time, rather than more money, and the other parent gets way less time, but a bit more money.

Unsure

Maternity leave can now be split between both partners. So a man can have a lot of time off as well.

Personally I'd rather have a shorter mat leave but at a high rate of pay.

Why can't we all get a choice?