Why shouldn’t life be made easier for pregnant women/mothers?

I assume you haven't ever been pregnant, but growing a human inside you leads to a whole host of health conditions that may require special treatment - cardiovascular, muscular, aneamia, vomitting, even your balance is affected. At the very least, pregnant women should be allowed a seat on the train. When I was pregnant, my resting heart rate increased to 130bpm, I had high blood pressure and I was prone to fainting. I also threw up hourly for months. If someone had a health condition with those symptoms I assume you'd be ok with them having reasonable adjustments at work? Many pregnant women experience these symptoms to lesser or greater degrees. And after birth, many women experience health complications that may be ongoing.

Regarding having small children, yes people should have special treatment, for example if their child needs picking up from nursery due to illness then that needs to be done. You can't leave a small child on their own. I agree that people with other, similar caring responsibilities should be afforded this too. It's not one or the other.

Agree with you OP - I had HG when pregnant and hospitalised a few times but still have some colleagues grumbling about me being off for 'morning sickness'.

Some people - like a PP - just don't want someone else having something they don't get.

I also think that focusing on adjustments for 'mothers' is not helpful and perpetuates the stereotype that mothers should always be the ones who have to be flexible and accommodate childcare. That's a slightly separate point though.

Because some people don't like anyone "getting on" or having what they can't or didn't have.
I find it baffling, it would be better if we all tried to raise each other up, rather than dragging other women down, but sadly that's just not how some people are built.
They are normally not very happy with their own lives at that moment.

If you object to reading opinions you disagree with I think it’s you that is on the wrong website, love. 🙄

There seems to be a lot of women who didn’t have that opportunities and seem to resent the following generations for it; probably the same women that don’t celebrate the achievements of their peers.

Parent and child car park spaces - yes, I agree with you.

Flexibility at work - hmm, not sure. I think that if it's the kind of job where you can wfh part of the time, then that should be offered to all employees or none. Other people may have good reasons to prefer wfh, why shouldn't they be able to have the same kind of flexibility?

I’m childfree and I don’t have any issue with things being made easier for parents or pregnant women. I have an easier life in many ways because of my choices. I keep seeing threads on here worrying about the decline in birth rate. If things were easier maybe more would be inclined to have children?

Usually the push back I see comes when the support is expected to come at the expense of childfree colleagues rather than from the business promoting itself as family friendly.

No one has a problem with pregnant women working from home, provided the childfree colleagues aren’t expected to be present in the office to cover their share. Equally I have no problem with parents with kids having school holidays off- provided I am able to book my holiday as and when I wish too.

The only complaints you've read on here about P&C spaces are when people with children equate themselves to people who are disabled.

Pregnancy isn't an illness. Or a race to the bottom. If a pregnant woman needs adjustments in the workplace, fine. Most do not.

Full disclosure: I had a baby. I was pregnant. I wasn't incapable of doing my job.

Some people’s perspective on change is ‘I didn’t get that so why should anyone else’.

Beyond that… honestly it’s complicated isn’t it.

Offering better conditions is of course far better. I honestly don’t know how I would cope without WFH a couple of days a week for example.

Sone people do take the piss though. And it’s difficult as an employer accommodating the extent of flexible working some want - without it impacting the business.

Because having children is a lifestyle choice, and I as a childfree person object to being penalised, inconvenienced or taxed more to allow entitled parents to receive yet more special treatment.

I'm afraid I didn't have anything like the negativity from any other demographic apart from older women - pre statutory entitlements age and up.

Especially enlightening to hear comments made about a pregnant colleague in a Teams meeting where they didn't know that I was pregnant too...

Younger, non mum women indifferent. Men a little nervous/deferential or kind/enthusiastic at any age. Mums my age most sympathetic obviously.

I don't think a woman should get special treatment just because she's pregnant or has small children particularly - people have different responsibilities which may well not be child related (eg caring for elderly parents). They shouldn't have less flexibility offered to them because they happen not to have had a child.

I have no view at all on P&C spaces as I don't drive but I think it's right that on buses, for example, wheelchairs should take priority.

I think some people are of the mindset 'I had to suffer/ manage with X, so no-one else should be able to have it any better'. Don't understand that myself!

I also think some women are under the impression that it reflects badly on women if some request or accept accommodations based on pregnancy or motherhood. I personally think it's better for there to be an understanding that pregnancy and life with young children can be very challenging (depending on circumstances) and that women are not robots, all capable of operating at exactly the same speed, efficiency and under the same conditions throughout pregnancy and motherhood.