Raise statutory maternity/paternity pay to match the National Living Wage
Statutory maternity and paternity pay is £4.99 per hour for a full-time worker on 37.5 hours per week - approximately 59% less than the 2024 National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour for workers aged 21+, which has been set out to ensure a basic standard of living.
Signatures
107,966
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 100,000/100,000 · reached
- 18 SEPT 2025Petition closedFinal total: 107,966 signatures
- 03 JUL 2025100,000 signatures reachedEligible to be considered for debate
- 25 APR 2025Government respondedDepartment for Work and PensionsGovernment reply
Parental pay entitlements are intended to provide a measure of financial security to parents to care for their child(ren). However, they are not intended to replace earnings.
Read full response - 09 APR 202510,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 18 MAR 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
If the National Living Wage is £12.21 per hour to legally enforce and ensure a basic standard of living, why is statutory maternity or paternity pay just £4.99 per hour?
We feel that working parents, especially women, who contribute to the tax system are being pushed into poverty at their most vulnerable time. We believe this undermines family stability and suggests the Government does not prioritise childbirth or its economic value.