‘Families deserve better’: Northampton mum backs protest for longer paternity leave

The event will take place at 3pm on Saturday, September 26, with participants changing babies’ nappies carrying the message “two weeks is ****”.

Northampton is among dozens of towns and cities taking part in the stunt organised by campaign group The Dad Shift, which is calling for dads and non-birthing partners to receive six weeks of properly paid paternity leave.

Currently, eligible employees can take up to two weeks of statutory paternity leave. Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.

The campaign says the present system can leave families without enough support during the difficult first weeks after a baby is born.

Kerry, a Northampton mum, described how her family struggled after her child was born with an undiagnosed tongue-tie and could not feed properly.

She said: “This lasted 13 days, so the conventional two weeks of paternity leave didn’t even begin to cover the hellish time we were all having.

“Not only were we all completely depleted, but I suffered from mastitis and severe postnatal depression.

“I also desperately needed his support. I used to be on edge come home time, surviving off fumes until he came home. It took years to recover. Families deserve better than this.”

The Dad Shift claims extending paternity leave could also bring economic benefits, with its analysis estimating 46,372 new parents in the East Midlands could benefit each year.

Co-founder George Gabriel said the current arrangements particularly affected lower-income families who could not afford to take time away from work.

The Northampton event forms part of a campaign ahead of the Government’s October Budget.