Parents hit the career bump

Will he, won't he? The hot topic in the coming months is unlikely to be speculation over who will be London Mayor but whether Tony Blair will take paternity leave when Cherie gives birth to their fourth child in May.

As new mothers around the country receive cards, flowers and chocolates today, few share the responsibility of day-to-day caring for their child with its father. Of the professional women who say they will return to work after having a baby, only 37 per cent actually do. So for all the talk of dividing the burden, in reality mothers still do the bulk of bringing up the children, particularly while they are babies.

David Beckham missing football training because baby Brooklyn was sick would have been unheard of years ago and is still pretty rare today. Paavo Lippanen, the prime minister of Finland, who took paternity leave in 1998 and again more recently, is also unusual in taking his role as a father so seriously.

Now paternal leave is enshrined in law, taking time off work to help out with the new baby should become a more accepted option for a growing number of fathers. The 1999 Employment Relations Act, which came into force on 15 December, incorporates the EU directive on parental leave: both mothers and fathers can take up to 13 weeks of unpaid leave up until the child is five years old. It applies only to children born or adopted after 15 December.

These are welcome developments. But if fathers received pay during their absence from work, they would be more likely to take time off. Donna Bradshaw, a director at independent financial adviser Fiona Price & Partners, says: "The bottom line is that there is still no money in it for them. For most people, having a baby is so expensive anyway that they can't afford to take time off even if they would like to.

"Most people have been left thinking 'big deal'. It is good if your child is sick and you need to take the odd day off, but then again, if you take it all in dribs and drabs, it lessens the effect."

In addition to limited provisions for paternity leave, the UK lags the rest of Europe in maternity benefits. "When you have a baby, a lot depends on your income and how much you have saved up already," adds Ms Bradshaw. "Just giving employees time off is not that effective. There has to be more money too."

There are new maternity rules for mothers expecting babies on or after 30 April. Whatever the length of service, all women will be entitled to 18 weeks' ordinary maternity leave. This is an increase of six weeks in the basic leave. Mothers are still entitled to normal terms and conditions of employment - company car, private medical insurance - but not salary. However, most will get statutory maternity pay and a maternity allowance (see the box on the left).

Women who have worked for an employer for over one year can take additional maternity leave. This must be taken at the end of ordinary leave and end 29 weeks after the birth. The earliest you can start your maternity leave remains the same: any time from the 11th week before the baby is due, as long as you give at least 21 days' notice.

Women no longer have to say whether or not they plan to return to work. A woman who wants to come back before the end of the ordinary or additional maternity leave must give 21 days' notice. If a woman qualifies for additional maternity leave, she should let her employer know when the baby is born, so the company can plan for her return after 29 weeks.

Given the strain of returning to work after childbirth, more women are quitting. "Around 54 per cent of professional women do not have their first child until they are in their 30s, and by this time their value to the employer is immense," says Lynne Copp, founder of Bump to Babe to Business - an organisation that helps companies avoid losing professional women at the height of their careers to have a baby.

"By the time many women have their first child, they are already established in a career," she says. "But once the baby comes, they physically can't put the hours in. Companies need to be more flexible."