The Dad Shift

🚨 NEW CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ✏️*Sign the petition now - link in bio @dadshiftuk * ✏️ We all know the UK has the worst paternity leave in Europe. But as many of us also know from bitter experience, if you’re self-employed, it's even worse - you get absolutely nothing. So this morning, a group of self-employed tradesmen dads travelled to HMRC with banners, placards and baby carriers to deliver a message: 
👉 Give self-employed people the same paternity leave as everyone else! 👈 Why were we at HMRC? Because tomorrow is the tax filing deadline - and with the help of @graemedowniemp , we’ve done some digging and found out that self-employed dads pay a whopping £1.1bn in National Insurance Contributions, the tax that’s meant to pay for stuff like paternity leave. But they get precisely £0 back in paternity pay 😠 That’s not just wildly unfair, it’s often devastating for them and their families. @onthetools found 1 in 3 self employed tradesmen couldn’t take a single day off when their baby was born - and over half said they felt genuinely unsafe at work because they were so exhausted trying to support their partner and new baby. It shouldn’t need to be said, but power tools and sleep deprivation really don’t mix…😬 It’s standard for other countries to give self-employed parents the same paternity rights as everyone else. Once again, it’s time for the UK to catch up. So we’ve launched a petition calling on the government to give self-employed dads and non-birthing parents paternity leave. ✏️ Can you sign it now to help get this on the government’s radar? Link in our bio @dadshiftuk ✏️ P.S. Huge thanks to @graemedowniemp and @onthetoolstv for helping make this happen 🙏 Photos @bootcreative

We’re in the news! But why did we attach lifesize model babies in slings to statues of men across London? 🤔 We want to draw attention to the important role that fatherhood plays in men’s lives - and why the UK government needs to give dads and non-birthing parents better paternity leave. Sign our petition >> link in bio. Shout out to Sophie Lucas and @pregnant_then_screwed for their own amazing statue sling stunt last year All images 📷 ©️The Dad Shift

The new Labour government has said they’ll review paternity leave in their first year in office. This is a *big* chance to win long-overdue change. We need to show the government just how many people care about this. So, if you haven't already, please sign our open letter now >> link in bio And if you have signed it, amazing - please share it instead! We can do this 💪 @dadshiftuk

Even for Tucker Carlson, the double standards here are WILD --- The Dad Shift is a grassroots campaign for active fatherhood, and right now we’re campaigning for paternity leave in the UK (it's currently the worst in Europe). To support the campaign: 👉 Follow us @dadshiftuk 🔁 Share this post ✊ Sign the petition for better paternity leave - comment SIGN for the link #TwoWeeksIsntEnough

This was Luke Johnson, "director and key stakeholder" at GAIL's bakery, on Radio 2 today, opposing improvements to statutory paternity leave. @gailsbakery we suspect a big chunk of your customers would be interested to know whether your company agrees with him? It's crucial we set the record straight on this: businesses pay HARDLY ANY of the costs of paternity leave. 92% gets paid back by the Government. Better paternity leave is good for business, which is why the rest of Europe - as well as many UK companies - are already doing it. Help win the campaign for longer, better paid pat leave - comment "SIGN" for the petition link #TwoWeeksIsntEnough

Let's go 💪💪 Huge crowd of parents marching down to Parliament right now to demand better paternity leave. Because two weeks is nowhere NEAR enough. There are also marches happening in Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham as we speak. Amazing job @growthspurt.uk and @weareparentingoutloud who organised this 🙏 #pushforpaternityleave

Just FIVE days to go until Push for Paternity Leave on Saturday 2nd May 🔥🔥 For more info and to sign up, check out the links in @joelibrearley 's bio Help build an army of prams and make a statement the Government can't ignore: our generation of parents wants some decent paternity leave, and we're not going to rest until we get it. We'll be speaking at the London event. Hope to see you there if you can make it! Massive thanks to @joelibrearley @iamelliottrae @weareparentingoutloud @leedsdads @walking_mums_club @nottingham.wmn for organising 🙏 #twoweeksisntenough

Correction: it's SATURDAY 2nd May, not Sunday 🙃 Push for Paternity Leave on 2 May: sign up using the links in @joelibrearley 's bio. For Leeds, sign up via @leedsdads link in bio Let's win some better paternity leave! Thanks to @joelibrearley @iamelliottrae @weareparentingoutloud @leedsdads @walking_mums_club @nottingham.wmn for organising 🙏 #TwoWeeksIsntEnough

Stunt of the day 🏆 Love The Dad Shift’s guerilla PR campaign, which turns the UK’s two-week paternity leave into a comparison people can grasp instantly. Smart creative work that shows how a strong idea, and real public participation, can drive serious media attention on a tiny budget. 💡@dadshiftuk | creatives Sarah Lisgo and Agatha O’Neill

Outmogged, pure and simple. There's a real irony that the manosphere guys pose as the peak of masculinity while at the same time carrying the world's most fragile egos. If you're lucky enough not to have heard of Clavicular, he's a manosphere influencer known for promoting "looksmaxxing" (basically using extreme techniques to "improve" your physical appearance) This is a clip from a recent interview on 60 Minutes in Australia. We need to show our kids a different model of what it means to be a man today, where instead of bonesmashing (Google it if you must) you can lead of life of real meaning and connection with your partner, kids and community. --- The Dad Shift is a grassroots campaign for better paternity leave in the UK (it's currently the worst in Europe). To support the campaign: 👉 Follow us @dadshiftuk 🔁 Share this post ✊ Sign the petition for better paternity leave - comment SIGN or link in bio #TwoWeeksIsntEnough

If you've sat on that train too, you'll know what he's talking about. @harrybakerpoet is an incredible poet who has just written "Tender", a book of poems about being a new dad - one a day for the first 100 days of his son's life (check out the link in his bio to buy a copy - it's incredible) This poem is the 15th day, the day when most of his friends were having to go back to work. So Harry chose that day to reflect on the phrasing: paternity *leave*. How it implies that being at work, not being with your child, is the default state we take leave from, and what that costs us as fathers. Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem with us, Harry, and for supporting our campaign for better paternity leave ❤️ ➡️ If you're new to The Dad Shift, follow us to join the campaign and comment "SIGN" for the link to sign our better pat leave petition

How do you do, human females? --- The Dad Shift is a grassroots campaign for better paternity leave in the UK (it's currently the worst in Europe). To support the campaign: 👉 Follow us @dadshiftuk 🔁 Share this post ✊ Sign the petition for better paternity leave - comment SIGN or link in bio #TwoWeeksIsntEnough