Inside The UK's First 'Parent Strike' Demanding Better Rights For Families

The UK’s first ever Parent Strike – led by flexible work campaigner Anna Whitehouse (of Flex Appeal) and campaign group The Dad Shift – has been announced.

The strike will see thousands of people picket Downing Street, Holyrood and the Welsh Senedd, to demand better for parents in the UK, specifically improved flexible working and paternity leave.

The news comes one year after fathers in the UK went on strike to protest the country’s statutory paternity leave offer.

Here’s what you need to know.

When and where is the strike?

The strike will take place on Thursday 27th August in a number of locations, including: 

Who can join?

Organisers are calling for parents, their children and anyone who supports their cause to join them at one of the strikes. Employers are also encouraged to join the picket line. 

Why are they happening?

The strike aims to raise awareness of multiple challenges putting pressure on parents in 2026.

One of these challenges is the rollback of flexible work – one in three mums are being called back to the office, yet nine in 10 mothers say they need flexible working to manage childcare responsibilities. 

Anna Whitehouse, founder of Flex Appeal, said: “Lots of people want to be parents but aren’t, because we’re living in a society that isn’t helping parents to thrive.”

The Flex Appeal campaigner highlighted that 74,000 mums are “kicked out of work every year after having kids”, and on top of this “many parents have to give in and leave their jobs, or reduce their hours, due to inflexible work”.

The strike will also raise awareness of the UK’s paternity leave offering – which has been dubbed the worst in Europe.

“Enough really is enough,” said Whitehouse. “A generation ago, women in Iceland downed tools for each other, for their families and for gender equality.

“We’re doing the same, but this time with mums and dads together. It’s time to make the changes that parents need to be able to thrive.”

What is the aim of the strike?

Campaigners want to see two areas addressed.

The first is for flexible working to be introduced as default “so parents can share the load”.

The second is for paternity leave entitlements to catch up with maternity leave “to start to balance the parenting scales”.

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said ideally this would be “at least six weeks’ paternity leave paid at 90% pay or more”.

Currently dads are entitled to two weeks leave on less than half the minimum wage – with nothing for self-employed dads.

“Parenting is meant to be hard, but it’s not meant to be this hard. In just a few generations, the costs of raising kids have skyrocketed,” he added, calling on decisive action from the government. 

“Raising a family can’t be allowed to become the preserve of the well-off, and it’s not like we don’t know how to prevent that.”