Couples acknowledge some of the barriers or challenges they encountered when deciding to take SPL, ranging from career considerations, traditional gender roles and the complexity of the policy itself.
Sarada, a hospital general manager, took 3 months maternity leave and Adam, a civil servant, took 6 months SPL in Edwin’s first year.
Amy and Ian both work for charities. Amy took eight months maternity leave, and Ian took four months of shared parental leave.
Lizzie, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, and Simon, a former council employee, took two months’ shared parental leave at the same time when their daughter was born.
Chloe, a lawyer, and Sam an IT consultant, each took six months leave when their second son, Max, was born.
Richard, a doctor, took ten-and-a-half months adoption leave and Rob, a lawyer, took a month SPL.
Martina and Dave, who both work for charities, each took six months of leave to look after Catherine.
Emma, who runs a small marketing agency, took five months maternity leave, and Mark, a management consultant, took seven months SPL to care for Louis.
Zoe, a GP, took six months maternity leave, and Sherman, a restaurant manager, took three months Additional Paternity Leave (APL) to care for their son Lucien.
Anna, a university lecturer, and Katy, a secondary school teacher, each took six months of leave to look after their son Edward.
Dr Emma Banister (University of Manchester) and Dr Ben Kerrane (Lancaster University), aim to investigate the experiences of men as they become fathers for the first time, and the impact of the Shared Parental Leave scheme.
