To think the amount of SMP is entirely unreasonable?

Aww do you think? Funny, as I’m only describing the lifestyle my friend has (who is here with me agreeing). Glad typing that comment gave you a little boost though

Well social care is already means tested 🙄 so most people will be funding their own care until they reach a certain threshold tp be eligible. Not to mention the taxes you pay go towards funding adult social care so in a way it's only getting back something you have been paying towards anyway.

I hope you have the same attitude to your old age care? Why should other people fund your old age care when you didn't save for it yourself? You want care when you get old? You pay, or care for yourself.

Because there is no reason why other people should be paying for you to have a baby. You want a child - you pay. Or, at least, get a job where they offer a better contractual amount.

I think that enhanced maternity pay is reasonable for at least the first 6 months. I don’t believe companies need to offer it for any longer than that.

But then I’m a meanie who has babies in nursery.

I think many posters would happily sacrifice many small businesses for a few extra quid.

Agree. If you’re working you should hope to be able to afford to meet a friend in a garden centre for a coffee, or go on holiday every couple of years at least. I don’t care what anyone says, that is normal life for the majority of people and isn’t really a luxury if you work hard and could ordinarily afford it when not on leave. So many posters with holier-than-thou attitudes to spending, as if they practice it themselves.

@YOYOK But how could a small business possibly offer a new parent one year on full pay and also pay someone else to cover their job?

I honestly don’t think most small business could, do you? They’d go under.

I agree with you but lobby employers instead of expecting the government to make up the shortfall. In a perfect world, women would get 1 year on full pay and high quality, highly subsidised childcare but we don’t live in a perfect world.

State pensioners aren’t carrying around 25-40 year mortgage terms with crippling interest rates. Carers allowance is shit and could be better, same as jobseekers for those who are genuinely looking for work. Lots of people fall into that bracket who aren’t, though.

Women who are working and have trained hard for their careers shouldn’t face financial penalties or disadvantages over those who don’t have children.

It’s not about the women before us, it’s about the women who come after us. We either accept this as good enough now or we strive for better. It’s not a race to the bottom and your comment is quite regressive. I’m sure many of the ‘predecessors’ you speak about would agree that SMP hasn’t gone up fairly with inflation, what use is it being grateful for what they did 20 years ago. The world is different.

You’re right they shouldn’t be paid, they should be forced into poverty or abortions

If you don’t have help from family you take out a 0% credit card or loan and pay it back when in work.

I don’t understand the entitlement on this thread. It’s really strange that people don’t consider the need to save or borrow to bridge the gap in earnings… these financial instruments exist for this kind of purpose. Bizzare how you think the taxpayer should plug the gap after 6 months of full pay.

Enhanced maternity packages were hard fought for by women in their 50s/late 40s in the places I’ve worked in. Now the younger generation are complaining it’s not enough to get 6 months pay. So ungrateful

Agree. If you’re working you should hope to be able to afford to meet a friend in a garden centre for a coffee, or go on holiday every couple of years at least. I don’t care what anyone says, that is normal life for the majority of people and isn’t really a luxury if you work hard and could ordinarily afford it when not on leave. So many posters with holier-than-thou attitudes to spending, as if they practice it themselves.

Find it very hard to believe this, sorry.

State pensioners aren’t carrying around 25-40 year mortgage terms with crippling interest rates. Carers allowance is shit and could be better, same as jobseekers for those who are genuinely looking for work. Lots of people fall into that bracket who aren’t, though.

Women who are working and have trained hard for their careers shouldn’t face financial penalties or disadvantages over those who don’t have children.

It’s not about the women before us, it’s about the women who come after us. We either accept this as good enough now or we strive for better. It’s not a race to the bottom and your comment is quite regressive. I’m sure many of the ‘predecessors’ you speak about would agree that SMP hasn’t gone up fairly with inflation, what use is it being grateful for what they did 20 years ago. The world is different.

Oh another "back in my day" poster. Times have changed. We don't have it easy! (FYI I don't have regular coffees and last time I went abroad was 2 nights in Amsterdam 5 years ago).

It is absolutely sickening. I'm currently 20 weeks and saving up so, so hard for my mat leave. I earn about 3x my DH, so we're going to find things very tough when I go on mat leave. The £184 a week is less than I earn in a day at the moment!! I am lucky enough to work for the NHS so I have a reasonable mat pay package, but even then, it's about a 2/3 drop in my salary.

Basic maternity pay in this country (90% pay for 6 weeks up to 39 weeks of SMP) for employees is the most generous benefit I think we have though? Especially when you add in child benefit which you get soon after birth. Together that’s more than the state pension. It’s way more than carers allowance. Substantially higher than unemployment benefits. PIP is different because that’s calculated on actual costs of living with a disability.

On top of this, many women have enhanced pay up to 6 months full pay as many on here have said they’re getting. I’m struggling to understand why this is not enough when it’s already so generous?

I honestly don’t think you realise how good you all have it (including myself who had second child fairly recently). The women before us fought so hard to get enhanced maternity pay from employers. Why are you not more grateful to them- they didn’t get it but paved the way for us. I personally know women in their 50s who got my company to change their policy.

I think this just shows how entitled the younger generation are today- it’s all take take take. And I’m part of this generation. There’s no willingness to endure hardship and sacrifice coffees/ holidays/ discretionary spending. It’s quite sad really. We are soooo lucky compared to our predecessors… have some gratitude.

I do think we as a society could do a lot to help women by state subsidy if good quality childcare for families, so that woh or sah are genuine choices, not forced by cost and circumstance.
Maybe we could do something at the tax end for sahp or workers who aren't taking up a limited childcare place, idk. I feel like there's lots which could be done to assist women and even up the sexes a bit, but doesn't make it an expense that employers directly gave to cover .

Oh and to add if women are forced (under your scheme) to go back to work full time after 6 months, to have had maternity pay, most would just not do it. Meaning either they won't have children at all this a declining population and the economic disaster this would bring, or they would all quit their jobs and claim benefits.

@Oldermum84 I’m not sure whether that would happen if paid maternity leave was capped at 6 months. Maternity provisions in the US, for example, are appalling-if you get 3 months’ paid leave you’re considered lucky. Yet birth rates in the UK and US are roughly equivalent. I think people would adapt to 6 months especially if it were better paid.