Equality and Human rights Commission attack womens rights again!
Shortly after their abysmal let down of women's rights over equal pay (see last post ) the EHRC suggest that maternity leave should be cut from nine months to six!
What champions of women's rights they are!
Before anyone suggests otherwise this is not at all because I am opposed to giving Fathers (or partners) more time off - i think it is disgracefully that paternity paid leave is only 2 weeks.
There is a clear need for paternity leave to be greatly increased - when I had my first child me and my husband shared the caring responsibilities.
I had my paid time off (6 months then i think) and then a period of unpaid leave having a year off in total and then my husband took 18 months off - all of which was unpaid.
This time around (yes for those of you who don't know yet (which cant be many!) Me and hubby are expecting again due in august) I will have my 9 months paid maternity allowance whilst he gets 2 weeks and then we will both work part time to share responsibilities.
As with the equal pay campaign where we were calling for a levelling up of women's pay to mens' - not a levelling down of mens' pay - what we should be calling for now and what the EHRC should be calling for isn't a reduction in maternity leave but a levelling up of paternity leave.
I will be returning to work after 9 months because I cant afford to take up the extra 3 months I will be entitled to which would be unpaid and many mothers are in the same position.
Unfortunately due to poor timing on my part I wont qualify for the additional maternity pay that my employer provides or statutory maternity pay (I will get maternity allowance) because I wont have been with my employer long enough before I have the baby - there must be hundreds of women caught up in the same situation.
Maternity provision has more than doubled under our labour government from £55.70 in 1997 to £123.06 a week from this year, but we do need to do more to give all parents support with leave, finances and childcare - this is what the EHRC should be calling for not suggesting that we remove some of the benefits that women have fought hard for!
3 comments:
can i ask what about the right of a man to spend time with his children too, lets not forget its not the womens rights commission but the equality rights commission and when it comes to maternity rights men are the ones discriminated against.
Perhaps the leader Mr Phillips has been offered a nice job, perhaps he will take over as minister for the welfare reforms, perhaps hanging the sick and the disabled is better then nailing them up.
Anon - why dont you re-read the post.
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