The Equalities and Human Rights Commission says the extension of maternity leave to 12 months for each child age could be working against women, rather than for them, because employers are thinking twice before hiring or promoting them.
Concerns were reinforced earlier this year, when businessman Alan Sugar was reported as saying many employers discarded CVs of women of child-bearing age.
The commission wants men to be given more parental rights in an attempt to break stereotypes.
The Federation of Small Businesses has called for a “reality check” on parental leave and wants a stop on legislation that is moving “too fast and too furious”.
Do you think legislation has gone too far in favour of leave? Or do you think more needs to be done to enable both parents equal responsiblity for caring for their family?
Trackback
3 comments so far
everyone needs to be involved in provision for the next generation. Otherwise shame on you!!
father of three.
- Posted by r c gray… only if the future does not really matter …
- Posted by donald barrereIronically, this new right of maternity leave will only benefit childless lesbians, or women too old to bear children.
It will, unwittingly, do more damage to the ‘women in the boardroom’ ethos than anyone could imagine simply because women have wombs and employers have a choice.
Some firms genuinely do not have the resources to cope with this legislation and so will start, if they haven’t already, to practice a form of negative discrimination by excluding women below 45.
This is wholly unjust, of course, but impending and inexorable in a world where cashflow is a fixated problem.
Certainly, parents should be given the choice that either parent could take up the new maternity leave right.
I do think that small businesses do have a genuine problem with resourcing and coping with maternity leave.
What happens if the pregnant employee is a key member of staff?
What happens if they have to make redundant or ask to leave someone who is doing an equally good job, when the mother returns?
Employing one person these days takes a large chunk of cash added to training costs and other expenses. It’s a real issue.
It’s a tough call and I think employers have been pushed into a corner where they will be using discretionary judgements based on their fiscal and staff situation and not on their feelings of responsibility towards motherhood.
They are only human, after all.
- Posted by The Truth Is...