‘Forgotten fathers: pipefitters, plumbers and the paternity pay gap’

When I stand up in Parliament to champion tradespeople, I’m standing up for the backbone of our country. The electricians, plumbers, builders, and carpenters who fix our homes, wire our businesses, and build our communities. I’ve spent months fighting for justice when their tools are stolen, elevating the status of the trades and campaigning for better apprenticeships to bring more young people into these vital careers.

But there’s one area where we’re failing these hardworking people spectacularly: when they become fathers. 

Right now, self-employed tradespeople are paying in National Insurance contributions and being told they’re paying into a system that will be there for them when they need it. Yet when a baby arrives, one of the most important moments in anyone’s life, self-employed dads get absolutely nothing. Not a day’s support. 

READ MORE: ‘A new deal on paid parental leave can’t wait’

To be clear, we are not saying our offer to employed fathers is generous. In fact, it’s one of the worst in Europe. However, employed fathers receive two weeks of statutory paternity leave, whilst self-employed mothers can claim maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks. Self-employed fathers are left to make an impossible choice: be there for their newborn and their recovering partner, or keep food on the table.

This isn’t just unfair, it’s backwards economics and bad social policy.

One in three men working in construction trades took no time off when their last child was born, not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t afford to. These are the same workers we desperately need to build the homes this country requires. We’re asking them to build Britain’s future while denying them the chance to be present for their own children’s first days.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

The impact ripples far beyond individual families. When fathers can’t take leave, mothers bear the entire burden of early childcare. This perpetuates the gender pay gap, reinforces outdated ideas about women as primary caregivers, and denies children the developmental benefits of having both parents present during those crucial early weeks. 

Research from Sweden shows that each additional month of paternity leave taken by fathers increases mothers’ earnings by 6.7%. The Labour Men and Boys Group is built on the idea that equality isn’t a battle between the sexes, it’s about creating a system that works for everyone.

Through my work with tradies in Portsmouth and across the country, I’ve heard many stories. The joiner who worked through exhaustion three days after his daughter was born because he couldn’t turn down paid work, the self-employed heating engineer who missed his son’s first week because winter was his busiest season, and the painter who went back to clients while his partner struggled to recover from a difficult birth, because missing work meant missing the mortgage payment.

The government has launched a review of parental leave, and that’s welcome. But we need to be clear about what’s at stake. Polling shows 85% of dads say they would do anything to be involved in caring for their new child, but men are being systematically prevented from doing so by an outdated system that treats self-employment as second-class.

Other European countries have figured this out: Belgium offers self-employed dads three weeks’ paid leave, whilst Spain offers sixteen weeks. 

Last year, I helped found the Labour Group for Men and Boys, building a Labour politics that better represents men and boys, improving outcomes for everyone. We believe in a modern, positive vision of masculinity that strengthens our commitment to gender equality rather than undermining it. 

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

Improving our paternity offer is one of our central aims. Working men deserve support, respect, and the chance to thrive both in their careers and their families. The current lack of provision is symptomatic of a broader failure to recognise the challenges facing working men across our country.  

Self-employed tradies build our homes, fix our heating, and keep our lights on. The least we can do is afford them the basic dignity of being able to welcome their child into the world without facing financial ruin.

It’s time to close the paternity pay gap once and for all.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].