Shared parental leave is a step in the right direction, but pay inequality remains a major obstacle to women achieving equality in the workforce, says the Law Society.
Responding to the government's announcement that parents will be allowed to share up to a year's leave after the birth of a child, the Law Society said the move is a useful a step forward and will help many couples to share responsibility in the early stages of a child's development, but without a change to working culture, the introduction of shared parental leave will not achieve the benefit the government hopes for.
'Organisational resistance to contemporary management practices such as flexible working mean that despite the introduction of shared parental leave, many women will still face barriers to advancing their career,' said Law Society president Lucy Scott Moncrieff.
More information:
Pay & Benefits Magazine
Epolitix
Law Society press release