Reportedly, it has been 4 Years ever since shared parental leave was started in the U.K., which is the policy that will make more dads take an active role in parenting. Under the shared parental leave, mothers should still take the first 2 Weeks following birth, but they can later reduce their maternity leave short and swap it for shared leave time for their spouse. The parents can avail leave in their kid’s first year at different times. Whilst the initiation of shared parental leave targeted to get both the parents engaged in the early days of parenting a baby, the number of families benefiting from the changed policy stays low.

Perhaps this is not so surprising although, as the legislation makes mothers the caretaker—they must forgo some of their maternity leave to share with their spouse. The research analyzing the grounds why mothers may or may not wish to share this break with their partners also indicates that several employers have lacked to include and standardize shared parental leave at the workplace. Another reason believed is that most workplaces are not properly set up for women to breastfeed. This lack of employer support has impacted breastfeeding rates and directly influenced the take-up rate of shared parental break—since it is easier for new mothers to be at home with their baby where they are able to breastfeed with ease. Reportedly, the U.K. is one of the nations with the lowest breastfeeding pace in the world.

On a related note, recently, a study showed that breastfeeding is under risk in Australia. A scientist from the ANU (Australian National University) has warned that breastfeeding is reducing across Australia. Dr. Julie Smith—who has investigated the economics of breastfeeding for more than 20 Years—stated that the invisible work of caring for a baby illustrates the fact that the Australian mothers do not get the maternity leave they require.