Campaigners recently drew attention to the need for better paternity leave in the UK by creatively adorning the statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel at Paddington station. The statue now stands proudly between platforms eight and nine. It shows the famed engineer holding a newborn infant in his right arm while holding a top hat in his left hand. This mainly symbolic move is designed to increase the visibility of responsible fatherhood and the need to support all new parents of any gender.
Curious onlookers were treated to an amazing visual spectacle. An adorable infant, swaddled tightly in an otter sling, dangled from Brunel’s statue. This installation definitely piqued the interest of a great number of folks walking by. Hundreds of people stopped to take photos and engage with the story behind the installation. Gabriel, one of the local organizers on the campaign, was encouraged by the response from the public.
“A lot of people stopped to take photographs; people responded very warmly. We meant it to be a positively provocative sight,” – Gabriel
The campaign hopes to tackle the damaging gap between how society views mothers and fathers. “There’s such an imbalance in our portrayal and understanding of figures in public life,” Gabriel explained. And he added that women are often held up to a standard of being “perfect mothers” and “perfect wives.” On the flip side, men are seldom invited to participate in narratives that explore their journey as fathers. The national initiative seeks to raise awareness about men’s crucial roles in family life and child development. It supports developing systems of care that better support families with new children.
The event organizers additionally released an open letter, underscoring the larger impact of insufficient paternity leave. The letter stated, “Proper parental leave for fathers and co-parents is good for mothers, good for babies, good for fathers and good for society too.” One study found that countries providing six or more weeks of paternity leave have smaller gender pay gaps. These countries are seeing a rise in labor force participation. Taken together, these findings are a strong signal that bolstering paternity leave would have beneficial effects for families and the economy.
Emphasizing the need to act, Marvyn Harrison, another key player in the successful campaign, brought the matter home. “It feels urgent. The UK is unusual in how far we lag behind other countries in this area,” he stated. More importantly, he expressed the very clear necessity to establish permanent conditions. Under these conditions men will be more active as fathers, spouses and participants in civic life.
This new display at Paddington station goes beyond simple awareness raising to demand crucial policy changes. It further educates policy makers and brings public awareness to the critical need for supporting all parents in vital life transitions. With conversations about paid parental leave finally taking off, this campaign hopes to help spark a broader cultural movement against outdated views of fatherhood.