Tory leader David Cameron has promised to make sure homosexual couples in civil partnerships will receive the same maternity and paternity leave as their heterosexual counterparts.
Both Labour and the Conservative party have announced new proposals for parental leave.
Labour plans to introduce a whole year of maternity leave with the option, after the first 26 weeks, for either one of the parents to take the remainder of the time off.
The Conservatives have pledged to allow both parents to take 26 weeks off work together and this would also apply to same-sex couples who adopt or conceive through artificial insemination.
Mr Cameron also promised that homosexual couples in civil partnerships would receive the same tax breaks as married couples under his party's plans, revealed in an interview with Attitude magazine.
Labour has argued that these Tory plans could stigmatise single and divorced parents.
Under present government guidelines, statutory maternity leave is 26 weeks of paid ordinary leave, with an additional 26 weeks available afterwards.
Statutory paternity leave is paid for up to two consecutive weeks and cannot be taken before the birth of the baby. Any additional days have to be taken unpaid or as holiday days.
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