Mueez Oladejo said fathers should be given 52 weeks of paternity leave
(Picture: Supplied)A London father who was given just two weeks’ paternity leave for his daughter’s birth says England is “stuck in the stone ages” and it contributed to his decision to quit his job.
Mueez Oladejo used all his annual leave to make sure he had six weeks’ paid leave to be at home when his now two-month-old daughter was born.
“It’s just not encouraging to work as a young father in this country. It’s just not, it’s so sad,” the Woolwich water technician told the Standard.
“We are stuck in the stone ages in England.”
He said the minimal paternity leave package - forcing him to use up all his paid leave at once - contributed to his decision to hand in his notice with his employer.
“If I was ill, or anything happened, I would have to take that day unpaid.
“That would affect the family and with the cost of living and everything going up, anyone would know it’s not a tenable position to be in, because I have no day off basically.”
He also said returning to work after only six weeks with his child was “super hard”.
“I wanted to quit on the spot.”
Mr Oladejo is not alone.
Research commissioned by Koru Kids reveals two in five parents with young children in London were dissatisfied with their or their partner’s paternity leave package.
Some 72 per cent of fathers and non-birthing parents were offered just two weeks’ leave by their employer - the current minimum statutory requirement in the UK - compared to the 52-week entitlement given for maternity leave.
In fact, 82 per cent of London-based parents believe that the unequal leave policies reinforce traditional gender stereotypes.
As a result, three in five or 62 per cent of UK mums surveyed said they felt their partner struggled to create a bond with their new baby, and more than half of the nation’s parents said their child didn’t receive enough attention during those crucial first months.
Mr Oladejo knows this first-hand. He wasn’t working when his first child was born and as a result spent 17 months creating a strong bond with her.
But he noticed that he couldn’t share this bond with his son, his second child, because he had to return to work shortly after the birth.
“From taking solids, to watching [my first born’s] first step, I was there for everything.
“My son was completely different, I missed almost everything. I think the only thing I saw with my son was the first solid. Crawling - I missed all of that.
“I’m not going to do that with my youngest daughter. Whatever it takes, I have to find a way to make it work.”
Mr Oladejo said he wants to grow his part-time DJ business so he can choose when to spend time with his children.
He said ideally fathers, or non-birthing partners, should be given a year of paternity leave.
“Every parent deserves that first year. The first year I believe is where most bonding is done. I’ve experienced this and I would not change this for the world.
“I missed that with my second and it took a toll on me.”
More than half of London-based parents agree, revealing unsatisfying paternity packages negatively impacted their mental health, while a quarter said their physical health suffered as a result.
A third of dads or non-birthing partners in the capital also said that their relationship suffered, whilst a further third said they were left feeling financially unstable.
“Gender inequality starts at day one, thanks to poor paternity leave packages, and our research confirms that paternity leave is severely underfunded and overlooked,” Rachel Carrell, founder and CEO of Koru Kids said.
“With 60 per cent of dads saying good paternity leave would be a factor when finding a new role, every employer should check their paternity package and make sure it truly provides financial stability, flexibility and enough time for new parents to bond with their baby.”
