British dads are being called to take part in the world’s first “Dad strike” this week, as growing frustration over the UK’s lack of meaningful paternity support reaches a tipping point.
Organised by campaign group the Dad Shift, the protest will see fathers and babies gather outside the Department for Business and Trade in London on 11 June to demand better rights and pay for new dads and non-birthing partners.
The strike comes in response to what campaigners call “Europe’s least generous” statutory paternity leave system – just two weeks at a flat rate of £187.18 per week. For many working fathers, especially those who are self-employed or on lower incomes, taking time off after a child’s birth is simply unaffordable.
“The UK’s rubbish paternity leave system means from the day our kids arrive, most fathers are forced to make an impossible choice between providing financially or being present,” said George Gabriel from the Dad Shift.
Despite early pledges, Labour’s proposed “day one” right to paternity leave under its flagship Employment Rights Bill has come under fire for failing to guarantee statutory pay. Campaigners say this omission threatens to entrench the inequality new mothers already face, and makes it harder for families to share caregiving responsibilities equally.
Polling from Whitestone for the Dad Shift suggests parents overwhelmingly support change, with 86% agreeing that children benefit when both parents are equally involved in caregiving. Yet today, the average British father spends 57% fewer waking hours with their child in the first year than mothers – 1,403 hours compared to 3,293.
Pete Target, who works in local government, said he would be joining the strike after his own experience of being “wrenched away” from his newborn just two weeks after birth. “It’s time to be more open about the struggles dads face,” he said. “We have needs too.”
High-profile backers, including self-employed podcaster Marvyn Harrison and workplace campaigner Chris Britton of Reward Gateway, say modern dads want to be present for their families but are being held back by outdated policy and workplace culture.
“Traditional views of parenthood no longer reflect modern society,” said Britton. “Fair paternity leave benefits everyone – mothers, fathers, children and employers. The beginning of parenthood is precious and fleeting. Parents should not have to compromise.”
The strike comes as companies like the BBC and Aviva lead the way with generous leave policies, offering up to 52 weeks for co-parents, while many others – including major firms like HSBC and KPMG – still offer only the legal minimum.
Campaigners are calling on the government to introduce six weeks of well-paid leave for fathers in the baby’s first year, and to make paternity pay more accessible for self-employed and lower-income workers.
With only 31.6 fathers in every 100 births receiving paternity pay – far below the OECD average of 57 – the UK ranks 40th out of 43 nations. Campaigners say without urgent reform, that figure will remain stagnant and women will continue to bear the brunt of parental responsibility at work and home.
Dads are now being urged to take the afternoon off, with businesses including creative agency The Romans and trades platform On The Tools pledging their support. For many, the strike is about sending a message not just to government, but to society at large: fathers deserve time, dignity and choice when it comes to family life.
As Gabriel puts it: “This is a revolutionary moment. We’re not just fighting for time off – we’re fighting for the right to be present from day one.”
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British fathers urged to join landmark ‘dad strike’ over poor paternity leave