Equitable access to and experiences of parental and associated leaves at UCL

Identifying the constraining and enabling factors for the take-up of Shared Parental Leave, Paternity Leave and Parental Leave amongst fathers and co-parents working at UCL.

The project aimed to identify factors impacting the uptake and experiences of parental and associated leave among colleagues and to develop recommendations for improvement and future strategies. The research involved a mixed-method study, which included analysing available leave policies (such as maternity, paternity/partner, shared parental, and returner’s sabbatical) and associated procedures, examining HR records to understand leave uptake over the past five years, and conducting qualitative interviews with employees.

Despite having progressive leave provisions, there was evidence of uneven leave uptake based on gender, job grade, and type of position. It was found that women generally take longer leave than men, with women in junior or professional/administrative roles taking longer leave than those in senior or academic roles. Most men take the full four weeks of paid paternity leave, but the uptake of shared parental leave is limited.

The findings and reasons for leave uptake were summarized in an interim report, which was then shared with stakeholders. As a result of this project, UCL has made changes to its institutional operations, including amendments to the Shared Parental Leave Policy and the Returners Sabbatical Leave Policy. HR services were provided with training, and the HR policy team will conduct mandatory Shared Parental Leave consultations to help staff understand the policy and available options. Signposting to the Returners Sabbatical Leave Policy has been included in the Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave Policies. 

A consultation group was formed to discuss the next steps for implementation. The findings were compiled into an action paper for the UCL EDI Committee.