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Best workplaces for working fathers revealed as employers get behind gender-equal parenting

Biennial awards showcase organisations leading the way in creating father-inclusive working cultures through policies, practices, leadership, and culture.

17 July 2025
A father sitting at a table working on a laptop with his three young children with him

Working dads are getting more support from employers.

Fatherhood-friendly employers across a diverse range of sectors, including many household names, have been celebrated at the Working Dads Employers Awards 2025.

The biennial awards showcase organisations leading the way in creating father-inclusive working cultures through parental policies, flexible working, supporting returning fathers, and leadership and culture.

The awards were organised by The Equal Parenting Project, parental workplace policy experts, Dr Holly Birkett from the University of Birmingham and Dr Sarah Forbes from the University of York.

This year’s winners are: Vodafone UK, E.ON, PepsiCo UK & Ireland, Better Society Capital, University of Oxford, Aviva, Browne Jacobson LLP, National Gas Metering, The Co-op Group Ltd, Centrica, and BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

We know from our research in this area that supporting parents at work not only enhances family wellbeing and fosters a healthier work-life balance, but can also help organisations reduce pay gaps and tackle the motherhood penalty.

Dr Holly Birkett - University of Birmingham

The awards were presented today (Thursday 17) at a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament hosted by the Rt Hon Anneliese Dodds MP (former Minister for Women and Equalities).

Rt Hon Annelise Dodds MP and Former Minister for Women and Equalities said: "I am pleased to support the Working Dads Employer Awards, to help highlight the importance of recognising parents sharing responsibilities, and the role employers have in supporting this."

The Working Dads Employer Awards, which first took place in 2022, grew out of the Equal Parenting Project’s extensive academic research into fatherhood, workplace culture, and flexible working. The project highlights the many benefits for employees, employers and society in general of supporting fathers to adapt their work so they can take on more childcare, such as reducing gender pay and progression gaps.

Dr Holly Birkett from the University of Birmingham said: “We know from our research in this area that supporting parents at work not only enhances family wellbeing and fosters a healthier work-life balance, but can also help organisations reduce pay gaps and tackle the motherhood penalty.

“These awards celebrate current progress while encouraging more employers to break down gendered barriers to caregiving, ultimately driving greater gender equality and enabling more women to reach senior roles.

We have been running these awards since 2022, and every year the standard of entry improves. It is heartening to see employers upping their commitment towards supporting gender-equal childcare.”

Supporting fathers can also bring benefits for employers in terms of attracting and keeping employees.

“We know that people’s attitudes towards sharing childcare have changed dramatically in recent years, with a growing desire among fathers to do more childcare. Supporting fathers to do so makes good business sense as research shows they increasingly want to work for, and show greater levels of commitment to, employers who make it easier to combine work and family.

Dr Sarah Forbes - University of York

Dr Sarah Forbes of the University of York said: “With recent changes to flexible working regulations, and ongoing conversations around work-life balance, businesses are placing growing importance on policies that attract and retain top talent.

“We know that people’s attitudes towards sharing childcare have changed dramatically in recent years, with a growing desire among fathers to do more childcare. Supporting fathers to do so makes good business sense as research shows they increasingly want to work for, and show greater levels of commitment to, employers who make it easier to combine work and family.

“We’re thrilled that more organisations are recognising the importance of supporting working dads for family wellbeing, employee satisfaction, and gender equity. It’s inspiring to celebrate employers who are leading the way and making a real difference."

This year’s event spotlighted outstanding initiatives through four awards:

  • Parental Policies Award – Recognising organisations that enhance and actively promote parenting policies for fathers.
    Winners: PepsiCo UK & Ireland, Better Society Capital, University of Oxford, Aviva, Vodafone UK, and Browne Jacobson LLP.
  • Flexible Working Award – Celebrating employers where flexible working is embedded as the norm, not the exception, and made genuinely accessible to dads.
    Winners: National Gas Metering, E.ON, and Vodafone UK.
  • Support for Returning Fathers Award – Highlighting organisations that ensure smooth transitions back to work for fathers following extended leave, helping to maintain career progression and wellbeing.
    Winners: Aviva and Vodafone UK.
  • Leadership and Culture Award – Honouring organisations whose leadership actively supports father-inclusive practices and challenges traditional gender norms in caregiving.
    Winners: The Co-op Group Ltd, E.ON, Centrica, Vodafone UK, and BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Award-winning organisations will contribute to a growing library of case studies on the Working Dads Employer Awards website, helping employers of all sizes across the UK, whether SMEs or multinationals, reflect on and improve their support for working dads and their families.

These awards are made possible through the support of partners, including Business in the Community, Working Families, CIPD, CBI, the Fatherhood Institute, Future Men, Parenting Out Loud, and the Women’s Medical Foundation.

Notes for editors

For more information, please contact the press office at University of Birmingham or +44 (0)121 414 2772.

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.

About The Equal Parenting Project

Dr. Holly Birkett and Dr. Sarah Forbes are leading the Equal Parenting Project with the aim of improving the use of family-friendly policies and flexible working in the UK. Birkett and Forbes set up The Equal Parenting Project (EPP) in 2017 with the aim of using rigorous, engaged academic research to help promote gender equality by breaking down barriers experienced by parents that prevent sharing of caring responsibilities, particularly in the first year after birth or adoption.

The EPP prides itself in undertaking collaborative engaged research that has the potential to create change in family friendly policies. To do this, the EPP engages with a wide variety of stakeholders who are critical in these decisions. Over the years the project has built a strong network of those engaged in the shared parenting and flexible working agendas across industry, media, the third sector, government departments and parliament, such as Government Equalities Office, Department of Business and Trade, Working Families and Business in the Community.

The EPP has also acted as advised on policy reviews and research projects, including producing government reports and adding new questions for the most recent national Parental Rights survey. Birkett and Forbes have also supported multiple organisations such as Nationwide Building Society, AVIVA, The Telegraph, Aon UK, Suffolk County Council and Vodafone to change or update their company policies.

About The Working Dads Employer Awards

The EPP started these awards in 2022 to celebrate the great work many companies do supporting working dads and encourage other companies to raise their game by promoting best practice. The awards are supported by a prestigious judging panel made up on the key NGOs in the field including CIPD, BITC, Working Families and the Fatherhood Institute.

Featured staff

  • Dr Holly Birkett

    Senior Lecturer in Organisational Studies

    Holly Birkett is a Senior Lecturer in Organisational Studies at Birmingham Business School. She is a Co-Director of the Work Inclusivity Research Cluster, an Associate of the Centre for Responsible Business.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 414 2928
    Email:

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