The government’s proposals for ‘parental leave’ face stiff opposition but, in spite of their problems, represent a valuable start to a longer process of reform

The UK government intends to make it easier for parenting to be shared more equally between the genders or, in the case of same-sex couples, both partners. However, as Caroline Thorpe observes, the proposals face strong opposition from the business lobby and the government itself suggests that the proposals may be too costly to implement on the proposed time scale.