A survey of 2,000 employees has found that one in five workers are putting off starting a family due to concerns about workplace parental leave entitlements, compounded by the cost of living and childcare costs.
The research revealed that 67% of respondents believe company benefits play a significant role in their decision about when to have children, while 78% said they would be more likely to start a family sooner if improved parental leave policies were available.
Financial factors behind the delay
Beyond parental leave, other major factors cited for delaying parenthood include the general cost of living (47%), the desire for greater financial stability (47%), and the price of childcare (40%).
The research, commissioned by VodafoneThree, also found that 68% of employees felt that with adequate support from their employer, they could advance their career while still being the parent they aspire to be.
Employer support and flexible working
VodafoneThree offers all birthing and adoptive parents up to 39 weeks of paid leave, and non-birthing parents up to 16 weeks at full pay. Staff returning from family-related leave can also opt to work 80% of their contracted hours for 100% pay during their first six months back.
These policies sit alongside broader flexible working arrangements, including core working hours, hybrid working, and the option to work remotely from anywhere for up to 20 working days annually.
Katrin Jacke, HR director at VodafoneThree, said: "We recognise the incredible value that working parents bring to our organisation."
"Although employers can't remove every barrier to parenthood, we can ensure our family-friendly policies give our people the time and flexibility they need in those key moments," she added.
Generational and gender differences
The survey found that 52% of employees say family-friendly workplace benefits have influenced their decision to join their current employer. A fifth believe better parental leave would give them greater confidence to start a family, with greater flexibility (59%), enhanced maternity leave (56%), and childcare support or subsidies (20%) among the policies that would help.
Meanwhile, 28% are considering switching jobs due to parental leave or family-related workplace benefits.
When comparing generations, 31% of Millennials are putting off having children due to concerns about workplace parental leave entitlements, while 49% of Gen Z say the same. Furthermore, 39% of 30-49-year-olds feel companies are not doing enough to support working parents.
A quarter of men had reservations about workplace parental leave entitlements, causing them to put their family plans on hold, compared to 20% of women. Meanwhile, 50% said they would feel more confident about becoming a parent with enhanced paternity leave, according to the OnePoll.com data.
Elliot Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud, said: "More dads than ever want to be actively involved in raising their children, and both parents increasingly want to share the care while continuing to thrive in their careers."
"Employers have a huge role to play in making this a reality - parental leave, genuine flexibility and a workplace culture that supports both mums and dads to be equal parents can make a life-changing difference," he added.
Tips for planning parenthood
Elliot Rae also shared tips on how to plan for parenthood, including understanding your parental leave entitlements, having honest conversations about how you'll share the care, looking beyond the policy to the workplace culture, exploring flexibility before you need it, and remembering that the perfect parent doesn't exist.
