Only half of fathers take paternity leave, with income concerns a 'significant barrier', new study finds

Paternity leave is two weeks for children under six months, while parents' leave refers to nine weeks for parents of children under two.

Only about half of fathers avail of paternity leave, as a “significant” gender income gap persists in Ireland, new research has found.

The research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) said despite the positives from introducing paternity leave and parent's leave, take-up remains low.