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In 2020, Jersey approved new parental leave policies which saw the island surpass the UK in being family friendly. While the progressive policies - which treat each parent equally - received appropriate fanfare in Jersey, it went seemingly unheard in Guernsey.
In researching the comparison between the two largest Channel Islands, it became apparent that, not only has Guernsey fallen exceptionally far behind Jersey, but it also has some of the worst parental policies of more than 40 other high- and middle-income countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
However, the issue is not part of the current Government Work Plan, meaning the disparity in what is afforded to parents in the Bailiwick compared to those in Jersey is not due to be reviewed this political term.
Pictured: An overview of the differences in parental leave/allowances between Guernsey and Jersey.
While maternity leave policies are significantly less in Guernsey than Jersey, one of the biggest inequalities is seen in leave afforded to fathers/partners in the two islands. In Guernsey it is referred to as maternity support leave, while in Jersey it falls under the parental leave policy.
Guernsey’s Vice-President for the Committee for Employment and Social Security, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez explained: “The partner of an employee who is entitled to basic maternity leave has a statutory right to a two-week period of maternity support leave."
Pictured: Fathers/partners in Jersey are entitled to six weeks of paid leave at a full salary rate and up to 52 weeks leave in total.
“To qualify, the partner must have 15 months continuous service with their employer at the beginning of the eleventh week before the employee’s due date. Similar statutory rights also apply for adoption," said Deputy De Sausmarez.
A spokesperson for the States of Guernsey confirmed that the two-week maternity support leave is unpaid, although fathers/partners may be entitled to other grants or benefits. They also confirmed that there is no obligation for employers to pay any sum during this leave.
Fathers/partners in Jersey are entitled to up to 52 weeks of leave, six weeks of which is paid at their full rate of pay by their employer. There is no minimum length-of-service requirement for the individual, it is a “day one right” for anyone employed in the island.
Pictured: Guernsey’s Vice-President for the Committee for Employment and Social Security, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez.
Jersey’s former Minister of Social Security, Judy Martin, who was integral in seeing parental leave equalised for both parents, said it was “hugely important” for men to be afforded the same opportunities.
“This is 2022, the age of equality. With the focus on diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination, it’s important to ensure that both parents have the option to play an equal role in the lives of their children,” she said.
“I remember when dads weren’t entitled to any time off at all; I’m proud that we have come a long way since then and both parents are treated equally in Jersey.
“The covid lockdowns showed that dads can, and do, play active roles in their children’s lives. We hope that more and more dads will take advantage of the leave entitlement available to them.”
Pictured: Birth mothers in Guernsey are required to take a compulsory two week period of leave in Guernsey and six weeks in Jersey.
Speaking personally, Deputy De Sausmarez expressed that she would be “keen” for Guernsey too look at “models of shared parental leave that support fathers to be more involved in their young children’s care and upbringing”.
“Guernsey lags behind the UK and many other OECD jurisdictions in terms of the gender pay gap, and improved parental leave is a good example of a measure that can help increase women's participation and productivity in the workforce,” she said.
“Not only would this have economic benefits for the island, but it would have obvious social benefits as well. There are some effective models of shared parental leave in other jurisdictions that I think are therefore worth exploring if this piece of work can be prioritised.”
Pictured: Fathers/partners in Jersey are entitled to the same amount of leave as mothers.
Bright Beginnings Children Centre Manager, Teresa Bott, said dads engage with the services.
“We usually see dads at the antenatal sessions and at our Just Dads groups. We also see dads at some of our other groups where dad is the primary caregiver,” she said.
“Having a baby can be overwhelming at times so having both parents supporting each other during this periodcould be beneficial to the family.”
While mothers in Guernsey are entitled to a considerable amount more leave than fathers/partners, they are only entitled to a maximum of half the leave as Jersey mothers.
In Jersey, birth mothers are required to take a compulsory period of six-weeks leave immediately following the birth of their child, which is payable at 100% of their salary by their employer. This represents triple the compulsory two-week period in Guernsey, where there is no statutory requirement for employers to pay any period of maternity leave.
Pictured: Bright Beginnings Children's Centre Manager, Teresa Bott, said the option for 52 weeks of parental leave for each parent "could take a lot of pressure" off of parents.
On the six-week compulsory leave in Jersey, Mrs Martin commented: “It is so important for mothers to have sufficient time to recover and not to feel pressured to returned to work too soon after the birth of a baby.
“We wanted mothers to have enough time to settle into life with a new baby. We also ensured that mothers have breastfeeding rights, which includes breaks throughout the day where you can go somewhere to pump, or where your baby can be brought to you for feedings.”
Guernsey mothers are also entitled to 12 weeks of “basic maternity leave”, which includes the two-week compulsory period. Mothers who have had 15 months continual service with their employer are also eligible for enhanced leave up to 26 weeks.
All Jersey mothers benefit from the option to take 52 weeks leave, which is in addition to the 52 weeks available for fathers/partners. It is up to parents in Jersey to decide how to split the two year’s leave allowance between them.
Pictured: An equal amount of parental leave is offered to both parents in Jersey which, if taken in its entirety, would cover from birth to two years old.
“Jersey’s parental leave allowance is designed for parents to have control over the decisions of how they want to take their leave. If full entitlement is taken, Jersey’s parental leave is sufficient to cover the first two years of the child’s life, which research has shown as being crucial," said Mrs Martin.
Mrs Bott confirmed that the first 1,001 days (from conception to two years) of a child’s life “is a time of rapid development and growth for a baby’s brain”.
“It is during this time that babies learn about the world and how safe it is laying the foundations for lifelong mental and physical health. Early relationships between babies and their caregivers are incredibly important for building healthy brains,” she said.
Pictured: Guernsey's Bright Beginnings Children's Centres, focuses on the first 1,0001 days of a child's life, from conception to two years old.
Not only do Jersey parents benefit from leave entitlement that is at best double and at worst 26x better than parents in Guernsey, but they also benefit financially.
In Guernsey, a parental grant of £431 is payable by the States. The parental grant in Jersey is £697.41.
As touched on above, both parents in Jersey are entitled to six-weeks of leave which is to be paid by their employer at 100% of their salary. The father/partner can take their six-week allowance in Jersey at any time in the first two years of the child’s life. If taken directly after the mother’s compulsory leave, the first 12 weeks of the child’s life would see a 100% income for the family.
In addition, a further 20 weeks of parental allowance is then payable to Jersey parents “as and when they choose” within the first two years of the child’s life.
Pictured: Jersey's former Minister for Social Security, Judy Martin, said Jersey had "stepped up to support families". (Credit: gov.je)
The same cannot be said for families in Guernsey, where there is no statutory requirement for an employer to pay for any parental leave.
In Guernsey, a parental allowance is payable for up to 26 weeks by the States at a rate which is dependent on the number of contributions made in the relevant year. Full benefit is payable at £234.29, totalling £6,091.54. Full details are available HERE
In Jersey, a maximum parental allowance of £232.47 is payable for up to 32 weeks, totalling £7,439.04. More information is available HERE
At a statutory level between the grant and maximum allowance, parents in Jersey are over £1,500 better off than those in Guernsey. Mrs Bott commented that decisions over returning to work, including finances, can cause stress for families.
Pictured: Some mother's in Guernsey are entitled to up to 26 weeks statutory leave. All mother's in Jersey are entitled to up to 52 weeks leave.
“Our Beyond Blue service offers support in the peri-natal period, which for us this is conception to two years old. Some of our parents who come through this service feel stress/anxiety about leaving their babies and going back to work,” said Mrs Bott.
“Peri-natal mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and being overwhelmed, can affect up to to one in four mums and one in 10 dads, If a parent is experiencing these sorts of feelings then going back to work can add to this pressure. The rising cost of living also adds to the pressure of having to go back to work.”
Mrs Bott said having the option of 52 weeks parental leave for each parent “could take a lot of pressure off of parents”.
“I would also like to see all employers having an understanding of the pressures of having a young baby /peri-natal mental health issues and how hard it can be sometimes for a mum/dad just to get to work,” she said.
Pictured: Mrs Bott said that there is engagement from fathers/partners in the children's centre groups in Guernsey.
Mrs Martin highlighted that Jersey’s policies gave it a competitive edge over Guernsey. “Generally, Jersey and Guernsey are on a par over most issues, so I was extremely surprised to see how far behind Guernsey is when it comes to parental leave,” she said.
“A lot of companies are competing for employees at the moment; if you were someone who wanted to have a family, would you choose Guernsey or Jersey? We actively promote Jersey as being family friendly and we have policies in place which back that claim up. It wasn’t easy; it took five years, but we have really stepped-up to support families.”
Pictured: There is no statutory requirement for employers in Guernsey to pay any parental leave.
It is safe to say that Guernsey could not be considered “family friendly” on the same scale as Jersey. In fact, if pitted against the 41 high- and middle-income that are a part of the OECD or European Union, Guernsey would fall to the very bottom of the table, alongside the United States. The UK, by comparison, sits comfortably in the top half of the table. The full results are available HERE
With the latest annual GVA and GDP Bulletin (available HERE) showing that gross domestic product in Guernsey is 57% higher than the UK and 11% higher than Jersey, it begs the question as to why we are so far behind when it comes to supporting families.
Pictured: At a statutory level, parents in Jersey could be over £1,500 better off than parents in Guernsey.
“A review of maternity support leave is not currently included in the Government Work Plan and therefore has not been prioritised this political term. It’s important as an Assembly and as a Committee that we prioritise our resources; however, the Government Work Plan is reviewed annually which allows for priority actions to be re-evaluated,” said Deputy De Sausmarez.
What I anticipated to have been a straightforward comparison piece, on the basis of public interest, has left me wondering why more noise isn’t being made about the gaping chasm not only between Guernsey and Jersey, but between Guernsey and the majority of developed countries.
Whether a government’s parental leave and allowance polices are suitably substantive is, of course, a matter for each individual to decide, but it is likely an easier question to answer in Jersey than Guernsey.
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