For working dads

Being a working dad today can feel like a constant balancing act. Many dads want to be present, involved parents, and be proud of it, but still feel pressure to keep their caring responsibilities quiet at work.

That’s exactly what Parenting Out Loud exists to change.

We are building a community of dads who want to do things differently. Through peer support sessions, webinars, online content and in-person events at football stadiums, we work to support dads to Parent Out Loud.

What is Parenting Out Loud?

Parenting Out Loud is about working dads being loud and proud about their caring responsibilities at work. It’s about normalising the reality that dads have childcare commitments, school pick-ups, sick days and family priorities – and that these belong in working life too.

In everyday life, Parenting Out Loud can look like putting school pick-ups in your calendar, being honest about needing to work flexibly to care for your child, using your out-of-office to explain childcare responsibilities, taking all the parental leave you’re entitled to, or requesting flexible working for family reasons.

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Why Parenting Out Loud matters

Many dads want to share care more equally, but the systems around parenting still make this harder than it should be. Working Families research shows that 74% of working dads want to fully embrace equal parenting but 50% have been asked ‘where’s your wife’ in response to a flexible working request. There is still a persistent stigma around male caring and many dads feel pressure to keep their parenting responsibilities quiet at work. While perceptions and expectations of working dads are changing, workplace cultures and policies have not kept pace.

The impact of unequal care is felt most sharply by women. 80% of the gender pay gap is attributed to the motherhood penalty, with women more likely to reduce hours, step back from work or lose earnings after having children. When dads are supported to take meaningful parental leave, work flexibly and be visible caregivers, outcomes improve for women’s careers, financial security and wellbeing.

At the same time, the system isn’t working well for dads either. In the UK, statutory paternity leave remains just 2 weeks, paid at a low rate, and is among the least generous in Europe. It does not reflect the reality of modern parenting or set the expectation that dads are equal caregivers from the start. Instead, it shapes assumptions about who takes time away from work, who steps back, and who ends up carrying the load.

Parenting Out Loud matters because culture change and system change go hand in hand. When dads are open about caring at work, they help shift the narrative around fatherhood and show that equal parenting is wanted, expected and possible.

That visibility keeps pressure on workplaces and policymakers to respond – with cultures, policies and parental leave that reflect the reality of modern parenting. And through our culture change programme, we work with employers to turn that momentum into lasting change.

When care is visible, valued and supported, it becomes normal to see dads as equal caregivers. That shift benefits families, workplaces and society as a whole.

Because when care is shared more fairly, everyone wins.

What support we offer for working dads

We are building a community of dads who want to do things differently. Through peer support sessions, webinars, online content and in-person events at football stadiums, we work to support dads to Parent Out Loud. See our events below. They are all free to access and we would love to see you there.

The Dad Clinic

A free, dads-only space to connect, reflect and have honest conversations about fatherhood. Bring your questions and join us from 12pm – 1pm for real talk, shared experiences and practical insight in a supportive setting with qualified coaches. Explore our upcoming sessions below.

Dads Unmuted

A LinkedIn Live, public conversation exploring what it’s like to be a working dad, while balancing work and family life. Hear from 3 working dads, who share how they Parent Out Loud and be part of the wider movement for equal parenting. Explore our upcoming sessions below.

Events

Nov

11

Working Dad’s Summit

1:00 pm

Register »

Our football events

Extra Time is our series of events for dads in partnership with football clubs across the country. We’ve already worked with Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Brentford, QPR, Southampton, Leicester, and more – and we’re bringing the conversations that matter to stadiums nationwide. Keep an eye out for our 2026 events and sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know.

At these events, we talk about identity, mental health, finding balance between all our responsibilities, and everything in between. It’s a real safe space to chill, connect with other dads, and have those important conversations about how we’re really doing (like, really).

Plus, you’ll get a stadium tour and hear from some brilliant guest speakers. Because sometimes the best conversations happen when you’re somewhere different.

Read Elliott's best-selling book

DAD is a deeply moving and inspiring collection of stories that represent the diversity of modern fatherhood and seeks to start a conversation that challenges the traditions associated with masculinity.

DAD includes 20 powerful and defiant stories about postnatal depression, becoming a new dad during the pandemic, miscarriage, widowhood, stillbirth, co-parenting, childbirth trauma, work-life balance, new dads at work, shared parental leave, being a stay-at-home dad, gay fatherhood and surrogacy, being a stepdad, black fatherhood, raising a child of dual heritage, being a single dad, faith and fatherhood, raising a child with autism, gender stereotypes and more.

DAD is an Amazon Top 10 and a Hive Top 20 bestseller. The book has been key to informing Government and NHS policy around supporting dad’s mental health and engaging men through the maternity process.

Blogs

Parenting Out Loud began as a campaign inviting working dads to share their stories, openly and honestly, about work, care, joy, struggle and love. Hundreds of dads have since taken part, sharing what Parenting Out Loud looks like in their own lives and workplaces.

Those stories show that there’s no single way to be a “good” working dad. Parenting Out Loud isn’t about perfection. It’s about honesty, visibility and progress.