A proposal by a rights watchdog in the UK for improved paternity leave for fathers has sparked an outcry by conservatives, who said the traditional family with a stay-at-home mother was under sustained attack in Britain.The Equality and Human Rights Commission of Britain proposed that more men should be encouraged to stay at home with their babies. It said fathers must be given improved paternity leave rights to balance the paid time off enjoyed by mothers."No one is suggesting that women should not have the rights they have to maternity leave, what we are saying is that dads need a slice of the action too," the Commission's chief executive Nicola Brewer was quoted as saying by the Mail online."Has policy on maternity leave made too many assumptions about the choices families will make and as a result entrenched the stereotype that it is women who do the caring and men who do the earning?" Brewer wondered.He suggested fathers should get 12 weeks of paternity leave paid at 90 per cent of their salary if a mother goes back to work before her leave ends.The proposal from the Government's equality regulator has been flayed by critics who said the traditional family with a 'stay-at-home mother' is under sustained attack by the government."The evidence is very clear that women make different life choices from men and on becoming mothers they place more priority on their family life," said Jill Kirby of Britain's centre-right think tank Centre for Policy Studies."We need a reality check," said the Federation of Small Businesses, flaying the proposed expansion of paternity rights.
