Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on LinkedIn

Sign up to our newsletter

Keep up to date with the latest Parenting Out Loud news, events and community information.

    What is Parenting Out Loud?

    Parenting Out Loud is when dads are loud and proud about their caring responsibilities at work. It supports them to be equal parents at home and it is a revolution for working dads.

    It’s transformational. It’s a clear step change from what previous generations were able – or allowed – to do. It’s a redefinition of what it means to be a man and a dad.

    Parenting Out Loud is dads taking the full parental leave available, requesting flexible working for childcare reasons, putting school pick-ups and drop-offs proudly into open work calendars, leaving loudly at 3pm to do the school run, and being honest about working from home when a child is sick. It’s visible. It’s intentional. And it challenges the unspoken rules of work.

    Parenting Out Loud is a gamechanger, and we wholeheartedly believe it can change the world.

    This work is urgent. Now is the time to move away from the idea that childcare is ‘women’s work’.

    If we are serious about addressing the motherhood penalty and supporting women into senior leadership, improving parental mental health, tackling post-natal depression and suicidal ideation among dads, and improving outcomes for children, then we must redefine the gendered parenting roles that have persisted for generations. More dads want to Parent Out Loud and be equal parents at home — but deep-rooted cultural norms, workplace expectations and outdated ideas about masculinity still stand in the way.

    Supporting dads isn’t just the right thing to do morally — it’s smart business. Employers who enable Parenting Out Loud see stronger recruitment and retention, higher engagement, better wellbeing and more sustainable performance. In a fast moving labour market, supporting working dads makes organisations more human, and more competitive.

    At Parenting Out Loud, we are leading the national conversation about supporting working dads. We empower dads through peer support, resources and events, while working with employers through programmes, consultancy and workshops to build Parenting Out Loud workplace cultures. We drive national conversation through the media and curate two annual flagship moments across the UK — the Working Dads’ Summit and Equal Parenting Week.

    This is a movement.

    Whether you’re a dad, an employer or an ally, you belong in this movement. Welcome, we’re glad you’re with us.

    Dads pushing prams with signs at Push for Paternity Leave
    Dad and two sons, one on shoulders, holding 2 signs at Push for Paternity Leave reading - more days for dads and kids need mums and dads
    Dad and two sons, one on shoulders, holding 2 signs at Push for Paternity Leave reading - more days for dads and kids need mums and dads

    As featured in

    Why Parenting Out Loud matters

    Parenting Out Loud matters because the way we support (or fail to support) dads has lasting consequences for equality, families and working life. When care isn’t shared or supported, the impact is felt most sharply by women, but it also limits dads’ relationships with their children and reinforces outdated ideas about work and masculinity. These figures show why equal parenting, supported by culture and systems, is essential.

    80%

    of the gender pay gap is caused by the motherhood penalty

    74,000

    women each year lose their jobs due to pregnancy, maternity leave or within a year of returning

    74%

    of working dads want to embrace equal parenting, but 50% have been asked ‘where’s your wife’ in response to a flexible working request

    6.7%

    increase in mothers’ lifetime earnings for every additional month of paternity leave taken by fathers

    This is also a public health issue. Fathers who are less involved in day to day care with their children report significantly higher stress levels and lower overall life satisfaction. Around 10% of dads suffer from post-natal depression in the peri-natal period and recent research shows that two to three babies lose their dads to suicide every week across the UK. At the moment we are asking dads go through one of the biggest life changes they will ever experience and then get back to work and pretend that nothing has changed.

    Parenting Out Loud is a key enabler to equal parenting. And equal parenting can change the world.

    Our workshops, webinars and keynotes

    Get involved

    Whether you’re a dad, an employer, or both – there are ways to be part of the movement.

    Dad at laptop holding baby, looking down and playing with them

    For working dads

    Support, coaching and community for dads who want to be loud and proud about their caring responsibilities at work. And, in turn, equal parents at home. Explore events, conversations and practical ways to Parent Out Loud.

    For employers

    Help for employers building cultures where working dads can Parent Out Loud. Through our programme and workshops, we support you to improve wellbeing & engagement, boost retention, advance gender equality and strengthen talent attraction.

    Working Dads' Summit

    The UK’s national summit which brings employers, dads, policymakers and allies together to challenge norms, share evidence, spark action, and build workplace cultures where working fathers and families can thrive.

    Equal Parenting Week logo

    Equal Parenting Week

    A national awareness and action campaign mobilising parents, employers and policymakers to challenge gendered caregiving. It shows how outdated gender norms, unequal parental leave, inflexible work and workplace stigma still hold families back.

    Blog and news