49% of dads say care is shared equally. Only 21% of mums agree.
Today we are publishing The UK’s Equal Parenting Report 2026, the first national picture of how parenting is actually shared in the UK and the workplace cultures that shape it. The headline finding tells you what kind of report it is. 49% of UK dads say they share care equally with their partner. Only 21% of UK mums agree.
That gap is what we call the perception gap. Mums and dads are not looking at the same household. The invisible caring load, the planning, anticipating and organising that keeps a family running, is largely invisible to the parent who is not doing it. And it is not the only number that should land hard.
- 72% of mums say they do more than 60% of the parenting. Only 15% of dads say the same.
- 53% of mothers say their career has been negatively affected since becoming a parent. Only 14% of fathers say the same.
- Almost 1 in 8 mothers have left paid work altogether since becoming a parent.
- 70.5% of dads say six weeks of paid paternity leave would have made a positive difference to their wellbeing, mental health or ability to parent equally. Only 5.6% actually got it.
From the wider research:
- £12.8 billion in net benefit to society every year if we extended paid paternity leave to six weeks at 90% of salary. Around £10 returned for every £1 spent. (Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, 2025)
What the report shows
The report draws on new YouGov polling we commissioned in March 2026, with a sample of 9,438 UK adults, alongside the strongest existing research from the ONS, Working Families, Pregnant Then Screwed, the Fatherhood Institute, the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, Deloitte, Vodafone, CIPD and others.
It makes the case for equal parenting and the Parenting Out Loud workplace cultures we need to make it real. And it sets out what government, employers and all of us can do about it. The losses are everyone’s, and so is the answer.
Whether you are a parent navigating equal parenting at home, an HR leader shaping the workplaces parents return to, a dad network lead, a policymaker, or simply someone who believes this matters, this report is for you.
Join us live today
We are launching the report at 12pm today, live on LinkedIn. The event runs from 12pm to 1pm and will include:
- A presentation of the full 2026 Equal Parenting Report.
- A live Q&A with Leah Ruppanner, internationally recognised expert on the mental load, gender equality and unpaid care.
- A panel discussion with dual-income couples talking honestly about balancing work, care and family life.
What you can do today
Download The UK’s Equal Parenting Report 2026.
Join us live at 12pm on LinkedIn.
And then share the report. Tag a colleague who shapes parental leave at your workplace. Send it to the dads in your life. Post your favourite stat with #ParentingOutLoud and #EqualParenting. The conversation about who does what at home is moving from a private negotiation between mum and dad to a national one about the kind of country we want to be.