At London Paddington station, a statue of the famous British civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel sits slyly with a baby doll in his arms.
Near the city’s Emirates Stadium, a replica of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry kneels triumphantly with a toy stuffed securely to his chest.
And in Leicester Square, the immortal Gene Kelly strikes the iconic “Singing in the Rain” pose, but this time, with a clinging toy baby.
Over the past week, people have been draping baby slings on famous male statues across London and Edinburgh to raise awareness of the UK’s paternity leave policy and advocate for more paid time for new fathers.
“We want to bring attention to the role these men often play as fathers,” said George Gabriel, founder of The Dad Shift, a group of men and fathers focused on this cause and behind the baby sling campaign.
Baby slings and carriers have also been tied to statues of Scottish professional boxer Ken Buchanan, actor Laurence Olivier and another Arsenal legend, Tony Adams, along with several others.
“We hope that by highlighting the role that many people play as fathers and parents, we can start to pay attention to the social support they need to be successful,” added Gabriel.
While Europe is home to some of the best paternity leave policies in the world, Britain lags far behind many of its European neighbors, offering just two weeks of paternity leave at 184.03 pounds per week – the equivalent of $245.10 on Friday. That compares with France, which offers 28 days of paid paternity leave, and Spain, which allows 16 weeks.
Dad Shift hopes the tactic will force the new UK government and especially Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take action. During the general election, Starmer was known for his commitment to spending Fridays with his two children. Back in July, after receiving criticism from rival parties, Starmer did not waver in his stance, adding “my family is very important to me.”
Gabriel said the group had drafted a letter to Starmer basically saying: “We really admire the commitment you have to protecting your time with your family. too.” The letter will be sent to Westminster in the coming weeks.
The stunt was inspired by another group, Pregnant Then Screwed, who also wrapped a baby sling around a statue on Crosby Beach in Liverpool in a bid to raise awareness of paternity leave last year.
In a 2023 study conducted by Pregnant Then Screwed, Women in Data and The Center for Progressive Policy, almost half of the new fathers surveyed reported that they took parental leave but that they returned to work early because of financial problems. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of new fathers reported not being mentally prepared to return to work when they did.
Another study released in June 2023 by the Trades Union Congress, a British labor organization, found that in cases where the father took paternity leave, more than half of the families surveyed reported experiencing financial difficulties.
Globally, many countries offer paid leave for new fathers. The United States is one of the countries that does not guarantee paid leave for new fathers or mothers.
Gabriel from The Dad Shift said that last week he received support from all over the world, mostly from men and fathers who agreed that they wanted there to be paid paternity leave by employers or the government.
“There’s a generation of fathers who feel like they’ve missed out on the time they want to spend with their kids,” Gabriel said. “The loss is a tragedy for the fathers, a tragedy for the mothers and a tragedy for the children.”