I will never forget this message sent to me by a dad when I asked how he felt about going back to work when his baby daughter had just been born: ‘’it’s like watching your wife, the love of your life, free falling without a parachute. You are terrified but unable to help or stop it. Some days she begs me not to go and I smile and walk out of the door. She thinks I’m horrible and that’s the hardest part because I would give anything to be there. The smile is to stop me from crying.’’ One of our demands at Saturday’s march is for all dads & same sex parents to be able to access 6 weeks of ring-fenced leave at 90% of salary. We are so far behind other countries, we have the worst ranking paternity benefit in Europe. 1 in 4 don’t even take their 2 weeks paternity leave as they can’t afford it. We are excluding dads and same sex parents from spending time with their babies, despite knowing that if they could be there, it increases the wellbeing of kids, it improves relationships (one study found couples are 40% less likely to split up if both parents can spend quality time with their baby), it improves the health outcomes for a mother, and it reduces the gender pay gap. Plus - they want it! In our research 8 out of 10 dads and same sex parents said they would do anything to spend more time with their kids. So - MEN! Join us on Saturday! You are very much welcome to be part of this protest because we are marching for your rights too. And Let’s Talk About Six weeks paternity leave paid at 90% of salary. ****Thank you to @niceandserious for this brilliant graphic and campaign branding*** #Letstalkaboutsix #marchofthemummies #paternity