Rewriting Fatherhood
Reflections from the world’s first Working Dads’ Summit
I had the privilege of attending the Working Dads’ Summit in London in September 2025, organised by the Parenting Out Loud founder Elliott Rae. The event brought together dads, business leaders, MPs and changemakers in person, with thousands more joining online. As The Guardian reported, the summit marked the start of a new national conversation about fatherhood, masculinity, and equal parenting.
As a coach who works with all working parents, this was more than just a ‘dad’s event‘. It was a reminder that the way we talk about and support fathers shapes the future for every working parent in the UK.
What I heard in the room
1. Dads want to be visible
Speakers encouraged fathers to show up ‘loud and proud’ as parents, not hiding school runs or caring responsibilities. When dads lead with openness, it chips away at the old stereotypes that caring responsibilities belong to mothers alone.
2. Systemic barriers don’t seem to be breaking down!
The UK currently ranks 40th out of 43 nations for paternity leave provision (The Guardian). Limited leave and low pay mean many dads can’t afford to take time off. That imbalance leaves mothers shouldering the bulk of caring and fuels the ‘motherhood penalty’.
In fact, UK mothers earn around 20% less per hour than fathers, a gap that widens after children arrive. That’s not just a statistic; it represents countless families struggling to balance career and care, something I see every day in my work.
3. Shared struggles, shared solutions
What struck me most was how similar dads’ challenges are to mums’. Guilt, lack of flexibility, fear of judgement, the invisible mental load. This isn’t a mum problem or a dad problem, it’s a working parent problem.
The bigger picture for UK parents
The summit’s urgency comes against a backdrop of shifting family life in the UK:
The number of stay-at-home dads has risen by a third since before the pandemic (The Guardian).
Fathers are spending 18% more time on childcare than a decade ago.
Only 13% of UK working parents want to return to pre-pandemic full-time in the office norms.
Parents clearly want more balance and flexibility but systems and workplace cultures haven’t caught up. And there are still too many companies actively blocking conversations that will benefit working parents.
Why this matters for coaching
I see these same themes playing out in the lives of working parents every day. The summit confirmed what I know from my coaching work.
Parents want clarity – to align work and family with their values.
Parents want confidence – to challenge stereotypes and set boundaries.
Parents need resilience – to sustain careers without sacrificing balance and fulfillment at home.
Coaching provides a safe, reflective space to explore identity shifts, reframe limiting beliefs, and design practical changes, whether that’s negotiating flexibility, resetting boundaries, or simply finding confidence to back yourself at work.
Final thoughts
The Working Dads’ Summit was the first of its kind in the UK. That in itself demonstrates real change. But what needs to shift is the culture. (Listen to my podcast – The Parent Equation: Culture Shift for some great examples of this). We need dads (and mums) to parent out loud and make their voices heard.
For me, the summit reinforced that supporting dads isn’t about excluding mums. It’s about building a culture where all parents are seen, valued, and supported—at home, in the workplace, and in society.
If you’re a working parent navigating these tricky landscape, you don’t have to do it alone. Coaching can help you find clarity, balance and purpose—so you can thrive in your career and at home.
If this resonates, I’d love to start a conversation. Let’s explore how coaching can support your journey as a working parent.
