← Back to Westminster Hall Debates
Fathers and Positive Male Role Models — [Wera Hobhouse in the Chair]
10 September 2026
Lead MP
Sam Rushworth
Responding Minister
Jake Richards
Tags
Women & EqualitiesMental HealthChildren & FamiliesNHS
Word Count: 14141
Other Contributors: 13
At a Glance
Sam Rushworth raised concerns about fathers and positive male role models — [wera hobhouse in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Rushworth calls for better public policy to support active fatherhood, including six weeks of paid paternity leave to promote early bonding and flexible working practices to allow parents to spend time with their children. He also advocates for the expansion of family hubs and parenting classes as statutory provisions to support new parents.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Sam Rushworth is concerned about the challenges faced by today's children and youth, including an uncertain world, economic insecurity, and a mental health crisis. He highlights the importance of positive male role models and active fatherhood, citing studies that show a positive correlation between active father involvement and better outcomes for children, such as lower rates of self-harm, lower levels of violent perpetration, and higher self-esteem. He also notes the negative impacts of fatherlessness, including mental health issues and poor educational outcomes.
Alex Brewer
Lab
Wolverhampton South West
Alex Brewer highlighted the importance of positive male role models in children's lives, emphasizing that children do not need a father in the house to flourish. He cited research from the University of Leeds showing the positive impact of paternal involvement on children's academic performance. Brewer also addressed the need for better paternity and shared parental leave policies, noting the disparity in teacher gender representation and its impact on role modelling in schools. He further discussed the detrimental effects of patriarchal values and male violence on children's well-being and mental health.
Chris Kane
SNP
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
Chris Kane discussed his personal experience with positive male role models and the challenges fathers face, particularly financial pressures. He highlighted the importance of equal paternity leave and the necessity of dual incomes in modern families. He also stressed the need for affordable housing to ease financial burdens on families. Kane advocated for volunteering and community involvement as rewarding ways to be positive role models.
Jayne Kirkham
Con
Bolton West
Highlights the difficulty for men in the armed forces to take paternity leave due to their work commitments. Jayne Kirkham highlighted the Centre for Social Justice report, noting that 76% of people surveyed believed teenagers lack proper role models in popular culture. She cited the decline in youth clubs and youth workers and the high NEET rates among young men, linking these to issues in health and relationships. She mentioned successful community-led interventions, such as the Men Walking and Talking Group and ABandOfBrothers mentoring programme, while stressing the importance of early support for boys and the need for policy to address health inequalities.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon highlighted the importance of positive male role models, particularly fathers, for the wellbeing and development of young boys. He mentioned that in Northern Ireland, working-class men face specific challenges in education and employment, leading to poor outcomes and a cycle of economic inactivity. Shannon also referenced the 'Lost Boys' report, which found that boys in the UK are more likely to have a smartphone than to live with their father, and he called for mentorship programmes to support positive male role models. Jim Shannon raised concerns about the high rate of male suicides in Northern Ireland, which is the highest in the United Kingdom, and requested the Minister to share information and best practices with the Health Minister in Northern Ireland.
Jonathan Pearce
Con
High Peak
Jonathan Pearce focused on the importance of fathers as role models and the socioeconomic divide in paternity leave, noting that 90% of claimed paternity leave goes to the highest earners. He argued that better paternity leave could deliver a £2.6 billion net boost to the UK economy annually and help reduce relationship breakdowns. He called for six weeks of paternity leave at 90% of earnings, reserved for fathers and second parents, including self-employed and insecure workers.
Josh Newbury
Con
North East Hampshire
Emphasised the importance of supporting fathers to be active parents, highlighting the financial and emotional challenges faced by many fathers due to the current paternity leave system. Raised concerns about the Child Maintenance Service disputes and their impact on fathers' relationships with their children. Discussed the need for positive role models for boys and young men, stressing the importance of reclaiming the best parts of masculinity.
Kevin McKenna
Lab
Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Kevin McKenna shared personal experiences of fatherhood and the impact of supportive fathers, particularly his own father's role during his early life. He highlighted the importance of facilitating support for fathers, especially in the context of paternity leave. McKenna also praised the Apex Boxing Academy in Sheerness for promoting positive masculinity and providing mental health support to young people. He strongly advocated for six fully paid weeks of paternity leave for fathers, citing a report by the Women and Equalities Committee and examples from Spain where the policy has been successful.
Luke Charters
Lab
York Outer
The speaker highlighted the shift in the role of fathers and advocated for better paternity leave policies, citing research from the University of Copenhagen and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He shared personal experiences and stories from his family background to illustrate the importance of being a present father. Luke Charters welcomed the Minister back to his post and asked for a commitment to work with the new class unit set up by the Minister for Women and Equalities.
Luke Evans
Con
Cardiff West
Supports the call for male role models and urges the Government to hold a men and boys summit as soon as possible.
Mark Sewards
Con
Wellingborough
Suggests extending paternity leave to six weeks to ensure fathers are more involved early on.
Matt Turmaine
Con
Watford
Matt Turmaine highlighted the importance of positive male role models and improved paternity leave, citing a report that showed the UK's statutory paternity leave is the worst in Europe. He noted the challenges young people face, including finding secure work, maintaining mental health, and the decline in male role models in youth clubs and sports. Turmaine called for investment in clubs, sports teams, and youth centres to provide socialisation and learning opportunities for boys.
Rebecca Smith
Lab
Plymouth, Moor View
She highlighted the positive impact of good fathers on children's lives, noting that around 2.5 million children lack a father figure at home. Smith shared her personal experience with a strong father figure and discussed research linking secure father-daughter relationships with better educational and career outcomes. She also addressed the challenges faced by boys and men, including the high number of young men not in education, employment, or training. Smith emphasised the importance of family courts supporting meaningful father-child relationships and criticised the government's position on the presumption of both parents' involvement in a child's welfare. She also mentioned the need to address toxic masculinity and the underrepresentation of men in early years education.
Wolverhampton North East
The speaker discussed the importance of positive male role models and challenged harmful messages about masculinity. She highlighted local initiatives and individuals in her constituency who serve as positive role models for young people, advocating for more Government support for such initiatives.
Government Response
Jake Richards
Government Response
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) for introducing this debate. Since the general election, the issue has been raised repeatedly in both Chambers. The Prime Minister made it clear that the cross-Government men and boys agenda would be right at the heart of his Government. We will undertake a summit in due course and at the right moment, and the change of Prime Minister and Government gives us an opportunity to work out the best mechanism for doing that. We are looking at different mechanisms to make that a real moment for the country to talk about these issues and would be genuinely open to suggestions on a cross-party basis about how we can get that conversation going, out of this building and around the country, not just in Westminster. Fathers clearly matter, and where a father is not present, another male role model can make an extraordinary difference—a granddad, a stepdad, an uncle, a teacher, a youth worker, a football or rugby coach, or a mentor. One in three primary schools does not have a male teacher, which is a massive problem. We know that boys fall behind girls at every stage of education, from early years through to GCSE and beyond. Boys are more than twice as likely to be excluded from school and make up a far larger proportion of the NEET population. Men and boys experience poorer outcomes across a lot of areas—health, education, employment, family life. That is all part of a broader pattern that requires a broader cross-Government response. The decline of our industrial base in this country has greatly challenged the sense of purpose and belonging for many men. Supporting fathers is preventative: by strengthening relationships early on we can stop problems taking root. We are supporting families from the very beginning. We want family services to be accessible and welcoming to all parents, and for fathers to feel that support is for them, too. We are reviewing parental leave and looking carefully at how the system can better support working families and allow parents to play an active role during those crucial months. We are also actively recognising the importance of positive role models and strong support networks more generally. We are working with the Department for Women and Equalities, and we know that giving a young man opportunity means giving him a stake in his future. If we give him strong relationships, we give him people to turn to if the future does not go to plan. If we give him purpose and belonging, we give him reasons to look after himself and look out for others. That is how we can assure that boys and young men thrive. It is how we can build a better society for everyone, and that is what this Government are determined to do.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.