The government knows how important it is for new parents to have time at home. They know that parental leave is vital for a child’s development. They know that self-employed dads are paying into the system
When my first child was born, I wanted to do what every father should be able to do – be there. Not just for the big moments, but for the quiet ones too. The first bath, the late-night rocking, the look in my partner’s eyes that said, please don’t leave me to do this alone.
But like so many self-employed dads, I was forced to make an impossible choice. I had no paternity leave. No safety net. After just nine days, I was back at work, still sleep-deprived, still figuring out how to be a dad. It broke my heart. And it breaks my heart even more to know that nothing has changed for the dads facing this today.
We’re told that fatherhood matters. We’re encouraged to be hands-on, to support our partners, to step up for our children. But how can we do that when the system refuses to step up for us?
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Every year, self-employed dads across the UK will file their tax returns and hand over £1.1bn in National Insurance (NI) contributions. That’s money meant to fund the very services that keep society running.
And yet, when our children are born, we get nothing back. No paternity leave. No financial support. No time to be present.
Meanwhile, employed dads – who already receive the bare minimum – at least get two weeks of statutory paternity leave at £184.03 per week. And self-employed mothers? They receive maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks.
Source-https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/self-employed-dads-work-paternity-leave/