The announcement in the Queen's speech about removing barriers to flexible working coincides with trends identified in a recent report.

The findings of a survey of 1,000 people, published by Friends Provident as part of the Visions of Britain 2020 series, show that 65% of respondents feel the Government should introduce a shared parental leave that can be split between mothers and fathers. The Queen's speech raises the expectation that the Government will put into place measures to allow mothers and fathers to share parental leave.

 The report also shows that 90% of women and 70% of men thought that flexible working was important in their job making decisions

Gillian Fox, HR director at Friends Provident, said: "Our report anticipates that by 2020, mothers and fathers will be part of a ‘sandwiched generation' caught between caring for children and caring for their own elderly parents. This means that the offer of flexible working is going to become an increasingly important condition for people when choosing their employer."

"Yesterday's announcement reflects the findings of our report, which shows men are crying out for greater flexibility around their working lives in the future. In fact, employers are going to find it difficult to recruit and retain the best people without offering flexible working. The Queen's speech lays the path for fathers to take more of an equal role and share the responsibilities for childcare."