Research into the effects of family-friendly legislation, introduced in 2003, has found a large increase in the number of working parents taking advantage of benefits such as flexible working.

Nearly 50% of mothers and 31% of fathers worked flexible hours last year, compared with 17% and 11% respectively in 2002, according to a survey by the DTI and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits: Survey of Parents 2005 assessed the impact of the significant legislative changes to mothers' and fathers' rights and benefits introduced since 2002, when the last survey was conducted. These include: increased maternity pay, longer maternity leave, introduction of paternity pay and leave and the right to request flexible working for parents of young or disabled children.

Last year, mothers took an average of six months' maternity leave compared with only four months in 2002, before the legislation was introduced. The number of fathers taking two weeks' paternity leave also increased from 22% in 2002, to 36% last year.

The DTI and DWP also claim the legislation has improved retention rates. The proportion of mums who changed their employer when returning to work has halved from 41% in 2002 to 20%. Much of this change is thought to be due to the right to request flexible working which has enabled women to stay with their original employer rather than having to change jobs (often to lower paid and lower responsibility positions) to secure a shorter or more flexible working week.

Alan Johnson, minister for trade and industry, believes that employers have made a significant contribution to the success of the legislation. He commented:

"This new research shows the very real benefits to parents of the family-friendly measures this Government has introduced. There has been a positive culture change in the home and workplace. Mothers are taking more time off when their child is born; the majority of fathers are taking up their new entitlement to paternity leave; and, the number of new dads now working flexibly has tripled.

"A key reason for the success of our policies has been that we have worked closely with business, taking on board their views. Employers recognise the benefits of better enabling employees to balance work and home lives, saving time and money on recruitment and training while ensuring they keep the staff with the skills they need."

New legislation as part of the Work and Families Bill, coming into force next year, is set to extend the scope of family friendly rights even further. These changes will include:

the extension of maternity and adoption pay from six to nine months from April 2007, towards the goal of a year's paid leave by the end of the Parliament and a right for dad's to up to 26 weeks Additional Paternity Leave some of which could be paid if the mum returns to work; and,
new measures to help employers manage the administration of leave and pay and plan ahead with greater certainty from April 2007; help for employers and employees to benefit from improved communication during maternity leave.