Paternity leave is an ‘upfront investment’ in our country, says Labour MP
One in three dads currently do not take paternity leave because of the cost, but Maya Ellis MP told LBC that taking time off reaps benefits down the line
Improving paternity leave is an "upfront investment" in the economy, reducing crime and the burden on the NHS, a Labour MP told LBC.
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Speaking with Matthew Wright on LBC, Maya Ellis, a supporter of the government’s first-ever comprehensive review of Britain’s parental leave and pay system, said paternity leave has immense benefits inside and outside the home.
“We know that higher dad involvement has better long-term outcomes,” said Ellis.
“We've got to be brave enough to make these upfront investments because they have the long-term return on reducing, you know, poorer outcomes and impacts on the NHS and the crime system.”
“I think part of it is about allowing dads to be part of that resource to support mums and support babies so that actually we don't suddenly start to get adverse outcomes 6 months, 12 months down the line,” added the MP for Ribble Valley.
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The Labour MP explained that paternity leave can seem like an economic burden at the time; one in three dads do not take paternity leave for financial reasons, but it can improve economic outcomes in the long term.
According to Ellis, the more you can invest in a baby’s first 1,001 days, the more likely they are to have positive health outcomes later in their development.
Additionally, paternity leave improves women's economic outcomes
Higher levels of equality at home early on can lead to more women getting back into the workplace and obtaining higher-earning jobs down the line.
Speaking to some of the myths around motherhood, Ellis told Wright: “I think we sometimes have these myths that, you know, women, mums, are better at lots of things like getting the school bags ready, cooking the tea, things like that."
“But they're not better, they just have more time to learn and get practice in the early days having that maternity leave. And so I think a big part of this is about dads having that chance to learn and have that time to help with baby," said Ellis.
“I think also women are recovering from a huge physical process, even if it's a physiological birth, but certainly if it's a C-section, they need more help around the home. There's a lot in the news at the moment about maternal mental health and how we don't do enough to support that.”
When asked by Wright how important this policy is, Ellis said: “I think it's a foundational step that will lead to improving many other things in the long term as well.”