US: "If she has that baby in April and takes off six weeks, she's worthless..."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110128/ap_on_re_us/us_pregnant_schools_official

Wow.  I can't say I'm incredibly shocked... when I told my boss here that I was pregnant, he told me my pregnancy was "clearly unplanned" since it meant I would now miss an event that he wants me to organise for him. Way to accuse my husband and I of being irresponsible. He also tried to convince me that "everyone" where I work comes back to work after 18 weeks and that it would be very odd for me to take the full 52 weeks or even the full 39 weeks of statutory maternity pay!

That just makes me angry. 

I can't say I'm surprised. I've been lucky with my current employer, but we only take about 6 weeks off then back to work full time.  I would love to have an environment where it wasn't only possible, but encouraged to take a much longer maternity leave. It just doesn't happen in most workplaces here.

I can't even bring myself to read it. I am soooo grateful I had my kids in the UK for this reason alone.

I can't even bring myself to read it. I am soooo grateful I had my kids in the UK for this reason alone.

Lilybelle's in the UK and it seems her boss is less than stellar. Ireland has similar maternity leave to the UK (but not quite as long) and I have a friend who was treated like crap (by both men and women in her office) when she finally announced her pregnancy. It happens everywhere, even when the laws are in place to protect women. Just because women are entitled to the time off, doesn't mean employers are always happy about it!

Lilybelle's in the UK and it seems her boss is less than stellar. Ireland has similar maternity leave to the UK (but not quite as long) and I have a friend who was treated like crap (by both men and women in her office) when she finally announced her pregnancy. It happens everywhere, even when the laws are in place to protect women. Just because women are entitled to the time off, doesn't mean employers are always happy about it!

True enough. I was just fortunate, I guess, to not have had to deal with that. I'd like to think those types of employers are in the minority in Europe. I think the poor attitude is more widespread in the US and certainly the laws aren't on your side.

Ugh. And I let myself get sucked in and just read it. And the comments. At this rate, the US might as well just forgo maternity leave entirely if that's an accurate snapshot of how the people and the employers think.

I read a recently published study in the UK that only 25% of employers want to hire mothers because of the maternity issue. 

I want there to be leave, but I fail to see how it is the company's responsibility.  I think that if the government wants to make it a priority then the gov't should pay. 

Why would any company want to hire someone who can leave for a year?  You have to pay them, pay the person who replaces them, give them leave when they get back, keep their position open...


http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/work/article.html?in_article_id=520977&in_page_id=53928

Only a quarter of companies plan to take on working mums this year, down from 38% at the start of 2010, according to a survey of 1,800 small, medium and large businesses by office services giant Regus.

Then there was the Swedish study that showed that mothers in the US have a better chance of advancement because they can't take as much time off.

http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/11/the-mother-of-all-paradoxes/

There are no easy answers.

It is the company's responsibility to ensure that their employees are healthy and that includes mental health issues.  I would imagine that mothers, and possibly fathers, who are forced away from their children too early  in the bonding process probably face higher amounts of stress and mental distress.  Why should a company be allowed to risk the health of their employees?  Surely they should not just work them to death or ignore their needs outside of the job?  Many things like longer maternity leave were put in place to allow for better work/life balance and if a person is not getting that because of pressures in the workplace than that is definitely the company's issue to deal with.

And not hiring mothers is descrimination.  I've read a few cases in employment law on that.  

This is one reason why DH and I have held off having children in the States.  I just can't get over the "thinking" on some of the comments people gave.

I am a big proponent of the generous maternity leave that is common in the UK.  However, as a policy, it is unfairly implemented and open to abuse.  My sister in law just went back to work after a year off for her first child, and her second is due in May.  However, since she will have been back at work for six months by that time, she gets the full year off again.  That can't be doing her employers much good.  Meanwhile, I get no maternity leave at all due to the crafty way my contract is structured.  I could get statutory maternity pay of course, but that is a fraction of what I earn, and wouldn't be enough for us to live off of, particularly with an expensive new baby.  I agree with bookgrl.  Maternity leave is important, and should be seen as a family values issue, funded by the government rather than the employers.  I would be glad to see my tax money used that way.     

Have you guys seen Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook)'s Ted Talk "Why we have too few women leaders" ?

Maternity leave is important, and should be seen as a family values issue, funded by the government rather than the employers.  I would be glad to see my tax money used that way.     

Devil's advocate hat on: Why should my tax money be used this way? I don't have children, don't want children and don't really want to pay for other people's personal choice to further populate an overpopulated world.

(Actually, I don't really believe that. I think maternity leave is important, but I feel that individual companies, not the government, ought to be responsible.)

I tend to agree with Chary, but on the flip side if the government is mandating the amount of time that companies must provide for maternity leave, then they should have to reimburse the companies.