中文导读

孩子出生后，爸爸能在家陪伴多久？据《卫报》10 月 25 日报道，在英国，答案很大程度上取决于他在哪个行业工作。文章先从玛莎百货（Marks & Spencer）员工乔·厄斯金的经历讲起：公司在 2024 年把全薪陪产假从两周延长到六周，他在第二个孩子出生时因此受益。接着介绍倡导团体 The Dad Shift 整理的数据：玛莎百货和乐购（Tesco）都提供六周全薪陪产假，跻身英国大型上市公司中最慷慨之列，阿斯达（Asda）、维特罗斯（Waitrose）、历德（Lidl）等零售商近年也改善了假期，五家企业合计惠及近 65 万名员工。然后说明这些企业政策为何重要：英国法定陪产假只有两周，每周薪酬为 194.32 英镑或平均周薪的 90%（取较低者），在经合组织 43 个国家中排第 40 位。随后对比其他行业：建筑企业 JCB 和以男性员工为主的劳斯莱斯（Rolls-Royce）只提供两周全薪假；建筑业雇用约十分之一的在职男性，却只占领取法定陪产假工资父亲的约十五分之一，部分原因可能是许多建筑和农业工人属于自雇，没有带薪陪产假的权利。最后，文章引用议员康纳·兰德的个人感受，并交代 100 多名工党议员的诉求和政府评估尚未出结果。阅读时可留意 because、although、but 如何连接原因与对比，以及 may、expected、not clear 如何表达尚未确定的信息。

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When Joe Erskine’s second child was born 17 months ago, he was able to stay at home for six weeks on full pay. “It made a huge difference to me and my family,” said Erskine, who works for Marks & Spencer, a British food and clothing retailer. The company raised its paid paternity leave from two weeks to six in 2024. His story is part of a wider change, but it also shows a growing gap between different kinds of jobs in the UK.

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乔·厄斯金的第二个孩子在 17 个月前出生时，他得以全薪在家休假六周。“这对我和我的家人影响巨大，”厄斯金说。他在英国食品和服装零售商玛莎百货（Marks & Spencer）工作。该公司在 2024 年把带薪陪产假从两周延长到六周。他的经历是一场更大范围变化的一部分，但也显示出英国不同类型工作之间日益扩大的差距。

According to figures collected by the campaign group The Dad Shift and reported by the Guardian on 25 October, shops are leading the way. M&S and Tesco both offer six weeks at full pay, which puts them among the most generous of Britain’s 100 biggest listed companies. Asda, Waitrose and Lidl have also improved their leave in recent years. Together, just five employers have given better leave to nearly 650,000 workers.

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根据倡导团体 The Dad Shift 收集、并由《卫报》在 10 月 25 日报道的数据，零售商店走在前列。玛莎百货和乐购（Tesco）都提供六周全薪陪产假，这使它们跻身英国 100 家最大上市公司中最慷慨之列。阿斯达（Asda）、维特罗斯（Waitrose）和历德（Lidl）近年来也改善了假期。仅这五家雇主加起来，就为近 65 万名员工提供了更好的假期。

These company policies matter because the legal offer is small. Employed fathers in the UK have a right to two weeks of paternity leave, paid at £194.32 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. That is less than half the national living wage. Campaigners say the UK ranks 40th out of 43 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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这些公司政策之所以重要，是因为法律规定的待遇很少。英国受雇的父亲有权享受两周陪产假，薪酬为每周 194.32 英镑或其平均周收入的 90%，以较低者为准。这还不到全国生活工资的一半。倡导者称，英国在经济合作与发展组织的 43 个国家中排第 40 位。

Other industries have moved more slowly. The construction company JCB offers two weeks at full pay, up from three days before. Rolls-Royce, an engineering firm whose workforce is more than 80% male, also offers two weeks. The Dad Shift found that construction employs about one in 10 working men, but only about one in 15 of the fathers who receive legal paternity pay. Part of the reason may be that many builders and farm workers are self-employed, and they currently have no right to paid paternity leave.

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其他行业的进展更慢。建筑公司 JCB 提供两周全薪陪产假，此前只有三天。工程公司劳斯莱斯（Rolls-Royce）的员工中男性超过 80%，同样只提供两周。The Dad Shift 发现，建筑业雇用了约十分之一的在职男性，但在领取法定陪产假工资的父亲中，只有约十五分之一来自该行业。部分原因可能是许多建筑工人和农场工人属于自雇人员，而他们目前没有享受带薪陪产假的权利。

For many parents, the time at home is about more than money. Connor Rand, a member of parliament, said paternity leave allowed him to bond with his son and support his partner. “Too many dads in our country can’t do this,” he said.

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对许多父母来说，在家陪伴的时间不只关乎钱。议员康纳·兰德说，陪产假让他能够与儿子建立感情，并支持自己的伴侣。“我们国家有太多爸爸做不到这一点，”他说。

More than 100 MPs from the governing Labour Party have asked for six weeks of leave paid at 90% of earnings, up to £1,200 a week, with self-employed fathers included. A government review of parental leave is expected to report later this year, so it is still not clear whether the law will change.

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100 多名执政党工党的议员呼吁提供六周陪产假，按收入的 90% 支付、每周最高 1200 英镑，并把自雇父亲包括在内。政府对育儿假制度的评估预计将在今年晚些时候公布，因此法律是否会改变目前仍不明确。

新闻来源

• The Guardian · Retail leads the way on paternity leave as government urged to improve offer (Joanna Partridge, 25 Oct 2026)
• Marks & Spencer · M&S announces biggest ever investment in pay and family leave policies (six weeks’ fully paid paternity leave from April 2024)
• Tesco · How Tesco is backing working families (six weeks of fully paid paternity leave)

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