00:00, 28 July 2025
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
If you aren’t living under a rock, you may have seen the recent ‘dad strikes’ happening in London and Edinburgh. Well, this is all part of the revolutionary work of The Dad Shift, a campaign group that’s pushing for better paternity leave and a cultural shift in how we view fatherhood in the UK.
The UK has the worst statutory paternity leave in Europe, but The Dad Shift wants to change that. Some of their previous campaign work included putting baby slings on male statues around London to highlight the invisibility of dads in caregiving roles.
This piqued our interest, and we reached out to Alex Lloyd Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, to find out more about their latest wave of action and what they are trying to achieve.
The Dad Shift is a grassroots campaign for better paternity leave in the UK. Currently, the UK has the worst statutory paternity leave in Europe - just two weeks paid at less than half the minimum wage. Self-employed parents get nothing at all.
Our aim is to win paternity leave that's substantial (enough time to properly bond with babies and support partners), affordable (paid at a rate everyone can afford to take), and more equal (so parents can do what’s best for their family rather than being forced into traditional gender roles).
The DadStrike was inspired by the Icelandic women’s strike in 1975, when women did no housework or childcare for one day to protest the lack of pay and recognition for the work of women. The story we wanted to tell with the DadStrike is that thanks to the UK's rubbish paternity leave, from day 1, too many dads and non-birthing parents miss out on being present in their kids' lives. It's a dual sucker punch: mums have to do everything at home, while dads end up stuck as the breadwinner, working to keep the family afloat while we miss out on the first smile, the first steps, hundreds of school pickups, bedtimes, bath times. The strike was about saying: we want the chance to be more present as dads, and that starts with better paternity leave.
The ripple effects are enormous. Start with children - they simply do better when their fathers are more involved in their lives from the beginning. We're talking about kids who are happier, do better at school, and less likely to develop behavioural problems. Early bonding time together is crucial for this.
For new mums, proper paternity leave is often the difference between coping and crisis. Right now, too many are left struggling alone while still recovering from birth - sometimes after major surgery like a C-section - and right at the moment they’re most at risk of postnatal depression.
For dads, it's about being able to be a bigger part of our kids’ lives rather than being pushed into just being the breadwinner. Longer, better paid paternity leave give us the chance to be more involved parents from day one, which ultimately leads to stronger bonds with our children and happier, healthier lives for us.
The knock-on effects for society are huge too. When fathers are more involved in childcare, it naturally leads to more equal relationships where both parents can have careers. This boosts the economy - the Joseph Rowntree foundation estimates £13 in growth from better paternity leave for every £1 it costs the government - and helps close the gender pay gap. Plus, it’s never been more important for fathers to be present to help their sons through the confusion around what it means to be a man today and help steer them away from toxic influencers and misogyny.
Yes - we've built real momentum. Since launching in September 2024, around 40 Labour MPs have backed our campaign, with paternity leave raised twice at Prime Minister's Questions. We've provided evidence to a Parliamentary committee and have met with the Secretary of State responsible for paternity leave.
The government has just launched a full review of parental leave - the first meaningful opportunity to reshape these policies in decades. Our campaign is going to be fully focussed on ensuring the review ends with a commitment to longer, better paid paternity leave.
Supporters can sign up at dadshift.org.uk to join our campaign, share their paternity leave stories, and get involved in actions like contacting their MP. They can also join our WhatsApp Community, which is the best place to stay up to date with what’s going on and organise with supporters.
The voice of business is critical in the review, so we’d encourage SMEs to sign our open letter from businesses backing better statutory paternity leave. And for larger organisations who already have enhanced paternity leave policies, we’d love to hear from you to discuss submitting your case study to the review - drop an email at [email protected]
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Working Families This UK-based charity supports working families and carers to help remove barriers that are in place. Find out more.
Dads House. This charity provides emotional, practical and legal support to single fathers and their families navigating separation, bereavement or financial hardship. Learn more here.
Fatherhood Institute. This is a UK charity working to build a society that values, prepares, and supports men as involved fathers and caregivers. Support them here.
This article aligns with the UN Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth.
