U.K. dads are wrapping baby slings on male statues to push for more paternity leave

At London Paddington station, a statue of renowned British civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel sits shrewdly with a baby doll in his embrace.

Near the city’s Emirates Stadium, a replica of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry kneels in triumph with a toy doll securely fastened on his chest.

And in Leicester Square, an immortalized Gene Kelly strikes his iconic “Singing in the Rain” pose, but this time, with a toy baby clinging on.

Over the past week, men have been draping baby slings on famous male statues across London and Edinburgh to raise awareness of the U.K.’s paternity leave policies and advocate for more paid time off for new fathers.

“We wanted to call attention to the roles these men have often played as fathers,” said George Gabriel, the co-founder of The Dad Shift, a group of men and fathers centered around this cause and behind the baby sling campaign.

Baby slings and carriers have also been strapped onto statues of Scottish professional boxer Ken Buchanan, actor Laurence Olivier and another Arsenal legend, Tony Adams, along with several others.

“Our hope is that by highlighting the role that many folks are playing as dads and co-parents, we can begin to call attention to the social support that’s needed to set them up for success,” Gabriel added.

While Europe is home to some of the world’s best paternity leave policies, the U.K. lags far behind many of its European neighbors, offering just two weeks of paternity leave at 184.03 pounds per week — the equivalent of about $245.10 as of Friday. That compares with France, which offers 28 days of paid paternity leave, and Spain, which allows 16 weeks.

The Dad Shift hopes the tactic will pressure the new U.K. government and especially Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take action. During the general election, Starmer was known for his commitment to reserve his Friday nights for his two children. Back in July, after receiving criticism about it from a rival party, Starmer did not waver on his stance, adding “my family is really important to me.”

Gabriel said the group has drafted a letter to Starmer essentially saying: “We really admire the commitment you have to protecting time with your family. Now, please lend your support and help us make sure that other dads have the opportunity to spend time with their’s too.” The letter will be delivered to Westminster in the coming weeks.

The stunt was inspired by another group, Pregnant Then Screwed, which similarly wrapped baby slings on sculptures at Crosby Beach in Liverpool in an effort to raise awareness on paternity leave last year.

In a 2023 study conducted by Pregnant Then Screwed, Women in Data and The Center for Progressive Policy, nearly half of recent fathers surveyed reported that they took some parental leave but they returned to work early mainly because of financial concerns. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of recent fathers reported not feeling mentally ready to return to work when they did.

Another study released in June 2023 by the Trades Union Congress, a British labor organization, found in cases where a father did take paternity leave, more than half the families surveyed reported experiencing financial difficulties afterward.

Globally, a growing number of countries offers paid leave for new fathers. The United States is one of the handful of countries that do not guarantee paid leave for new fathers or mothers.

Gabriel from The Dad Shift said that this past week he has received support from around the world, largely coming from men and fathers who agree that they wish there was more paid paternity leave offered by their employer or government.

“There are generations of fathers who have felt like they’ve missed out on the time they wanted with their kids,” Gabriel said. “Missing out was a tragedy for those dads, it’s a tragedy for the moms and it’s a tragedy for the kids.”