Fathers who take solo parental leave stay more involved at home, study finds

Fathers who spent part of their parental leave caring for their child alone were more likely to remain actively involved in childcare five years on, according to research from The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The study followed 10 dual-career couples across the UK in which the father took a period of solo parental leave during the child’s first year, tracking how each family organised work and childcare over the following five years.

Researchers found that solo caregiving built practical parenting competence, emotional confidence and a clearer understanding of the unseen work involved in raising a child. Rather than reverting to more traditional divisions of labour once they returned to work, the fathers in the study adapted their working patterns and continued to share tasks including childcare planning, school runs and household management.

Crucially, the researchers attribute the effect to responsibility rather than exposure.

“The benefits we observed weren’t simply about fathers spending more time with their children – it was the experience of taking responsibility for childcare independently that appeared to make the difference,” said Professor Ben Kerrane of Manchester Metropolitan University. “That experience helped reshape how couples thought about parenting, careers and family responsibilities, with effects that were still visible five years later.”

The study also reported knock-on effects for mothers’ careers. Several were able to return to work earlier or pursue progression because they had confidence in their partner’s caregiving, and couples were more likely to treat childcare as a shared responsibility rather than primarily the mother’s.

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“The fathers in our study were active participants in all aspects of childcare, including the planning, organisation and emotional labour that can otherwise fall disproportionately on mothers,” said Professor Emma Banister of the Work and Equalities Institute at Alliance Manchester Business School. “This created greater flexibility for families and, in many cases, helped mothers pursue career opportunities that might otherwise have been more difficult.”

Some fathers also became more visible about their caregiving at work. Participants reported discussing childcare commitments openly with colleagues and managers rather than treating them as something to be concealed, and some said they had become more willing to prioritise family responsibilities over career progression.

Policy backdrop

The findings land in an ongoing UK debate over parental leave design. Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015 to encourage more equal parenting, but take-up has remained low – the researchers point to affordability, eligibility restrictions and the structure of the system itself.

On the basis of their findings, the researchers argue that expanding dedicated leave for fathers, and creating more opportunities for solo caregiving specifically, could support greater gender equality at home and at work. They also say employers and policymakers should do more to support fathers who want to take an active caregiving role.