In London, these dads are hanging baby carriers from statues of “big men” to demand better paternity leave.

Passers-by in London in recent days have come across a statue of Thierry Henry adorned in a baby carrier with a doll inside. However, the former “Arsenal” striker will not become a father (again) anytime soon. It’s actually an action by British collective The Dad Shift, which aims to draw attention to young fathers and campaign for better paternity leave in the UK.

Paternity leave on offer in the UK today is indeed one of the least generous in Europe. That’s just two weeks, paid for at a pittance of £184.03 (around €220) a week. And this is not without consequences. A 2023 study found that a third of British fathers do not take paternity leave after the birth of a child, and half of those who do face financial difficulties.

“Provocative Scene”

Across central London, crew members strapped dummy babies to bronze statues of famous men—not just Thierry Henry, but his former team-mate Tony Adams, dancer and actor Gene Kelly, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (famous for creating the Great Western Railway, a line of steamboats). , actor Laurence Olivier… Enough to attract more than one person.

“Many people stopped to take pictures and the reactions were very warm. We wanted it to be a provocative show,” says George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, in the column. Keeper . “Women are often asked about their lives as wives, mothers and daughters, while male figures in public life are not often asked to share this part of themselves. We wanted to draw attention to their role as fathers and the need to better support people who have children in their lives.”

The Labor Party is concerned

Still agree KeeperA new survey conducted to launch the ‘Dad Shift’ campaign shows that 90% of fathers would like to play a more important role in their children’s lives. Demands for better paternity leave are known at the highest level of the state. The proof. Labor promised in its manifesto that Keir Starmer’s government would “review the parental leave system to best support working families during its first year in power”.