Under the new plans mothers, who return to the workplace after six months, would be allowed to transfer their unused six months of maternity leave to their partner.
This would give fathers a statutory right to up to three months' paid and three months' unpaid leave, compared with the two weeks of paid leave they are currently allowed. The rule would also apply to gay couples.
CEO of Working Families Sarah Jackson said: "This news is good for families, and also good for business. It begins to tackle gender inequality in the workplace, which costs the UK so dearly.
"This transferable leave will enable some fathers to take time off to care for their new-born child while the mother returns to her job.
This small step will begin to make fathers visible at work and may help employers reconsider outdated assumptions that care for a new baby will automatically be 100% the responsibility of the mother."
But she added: "We'd prefer to see a much stronger right, an independent right to properly paid time off for all fathers, not a transferable right available only to those fathers whose partners choose to return to work before the end of their maternity leave."
Joanna Cowie, head of legal at HRInsight, said: "The new rules, which form part of the Work and Families Act 2006, were delayed due to the current economic climate. The initial response from businesses is that the new rules will be time-consuming and expensive to administer, at a time when they are likely to be struggling to recover from the recession. Small businesses, in particular, are concerned about the likely effect of having to pay for temporary cover and the difficulties posed where both parents are employed by the same employer.
"Detailed proposals are eagerly awaited from the Government to enable businesses to fully consider and prepare for the impact of the new rules."
But in a U-turn from its original manifesto pledge, the Government also plans to reduce paid maternity leave from a year to nine months.
