Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Parental Rights Survey, previously titled the Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey series (MPRS) and the Maternity Rights Survey, has been monitoring the take-up of maternity benefits and mothers' decisions relating to childcare and employment following the birth of the child since the late 1970s, covering changes to maternity and parental rights legislation and their effects over time. The 1993, 2002, 2009-2010 and 2019 surveys are currently held at the UK Data Service.

Maternity and Paternity Rights in Britain, 2002: Survey of Parents

The 2002 data are in a similar format to those gathered in the 1996 survey, and so help provide a time-series to allow the examination of the impact of legislative changes enacted in 1999. Similarly, the 2002 study will also serve as a baseline against which changes in opinions and behaviours may be tracked in the future (for example in the 2005 survey), following the implementation of reforms to maternity and paternity rights and benefits enacted in 2003. Fathers were first included in the 1996 survey, and were again surveyed in 2002.

In addition to these considerations, the 2002 survey also explored women's engagement in the labour market during and following pregnancy.

Main Topics:

Mothers and fathers were surveyed separately. The questionnaires covered employment at the time of the child's birth; work before the birth; maternity leave; maternity pay; reasons mother works (or no longer works); awareness of work-related maternity and paternity rights; paternity leave; flexible working arrangements and leave entitlement at place of employment; current employment; demographic details.