Fathers 'lack knowledge of paternity rights'
Fri 19 Feb 2010
Many fathers in the UK are not aware of their employment rights regarding paternity leave, experts have claimed.
According to the Fatherhood Institute, the right to take two weeks paternity leave has been enshrined in law for seven years and attracted lots of media coverage at the time of its introduction.
Therefore, the organisation has admitted it does not understand why there is a lack of awareness surrounding the issue and suggested that a second publicity campaign may need to be launched.
Rob Williams, chief executive of the Fatherhood Institute, said this would ensure that as many fathers as possible are aware they are legally entitled to take paternity leave.
He was speaking after a government study found that 91 per cent of fathers with children five or under think it is important to have the option of taking paid paternity leave.
Almost two-thirds of those polled suggested that their relationship with their son or daughter could suffer if they do not spend time at home following the birth.




