Nick Clegg is set to announce a vast overhaul of paternity leave laws today, with plans that could see dads getting up to ten months paid leave after their babies are born.
The proposals will allow parents to divide the existing year's maternity leave between them, even down to short stretches of six weeks on, six weeks off.
Under current rules, women are entitled to six weeks of maternity leave on 90 per cent pay, followed by 33 weeks on statutory maternity pay of £125 a week, totalling a year off work. Dads, meanwhile, are entitled to two weeks leave on statutory pay.
Not everyone welcomes the Coalition's overhaul of the current system. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Andrew Cave from the Federation of Small Businesses said:
'This is the wrong measure at the wrong time. The Government says it wants businesses to take on more staff but this sort of thing just throws up more obstacles. Maternity leave is already the most complex aspect of employment law for many businesses and this risks making it a complete nightmare.'
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What do you think?
Is this a step too far?
Should it be up to families to decide who is the breadwinner, and who stays home to mind the children?
Is the current two weeks paternity leave enough?