Bronze statues, baby dolls and a message: The Dad Shift's stunt for better paternity leave

A new action group called The Dad Shift is going viral thanks to a stunt in central London. Activists attached slings holding baby dolls to bronze statues of famous men. Their goal? Improving the UK's paternity leave, which is the skimpiest in Europe: new fathers currently get two weeks of statutory leave, during which they're paid GBP 184.03 a week (less than half the minimum wage).

The Dad Shift is campaigning for paternity leave that's both longer and more affordable, and not just for dads but parents in every relationship — same-sex, heterosexual and adoptive. As explained in an open letter/petition to Prime Minister Keir Starmer: "One in three fathers take no leave at all when a new baby arrives, while one in two who do report struggling financially because of it. Proper parental leave for fathers and co-parents is good for mothers, good for babies, good for fathers and good for society, too, including improving health outcomes for all. Countries with 6 or more weeks paternity leave also have a gender pay gap that's 4% smaller and a workforce participation gap that is 3.7% smaller, too, meaning change can help grow the economy while helping British families."

Like the garlands that flower delivery network Fleurop draped on women's statues in Germany earlier this year, The Dad Shift's stunt serves as a masterclass in low-budget, high-impact guerrilla marketing. By choosing public spaces and creating an unexpected juxtaposition — stoic, dark statues wearing babies in colorful slings — the group crafted a visually striking and highly shareable moment that gets the message across in an instant.

P.S. Props to Sophie Lucas, who strapped dolls on Antony Gormley's iron men in 2023. That was for Pregnant Then Screwed, a charity fighting for the rights of working parents. Lucas also consulted on The Dad Shift's project.