Maternity pay has gone too far

They obviously haven't. You need longer than that off!

She said: "Maternity pay varies, depending on who you work for - but statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from people who are working.
"We’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.”

This is the bit I find most objectionable. Attempting to pit people against each other. In reality of course, working women who maybe take up to two years out of a forty year long career are paying into the system, not taking from it.

What a load of nonsense. She’s quoted as saying:

Statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from people who are working. We’re taking from one group of people and giving to another.

Women who take maternity leave are working. They’re taxpayers. A great many of them will return to work and continue to pay tax. The relatively low amount of SMP doesn’t make them not taxpayers.

My youngest was born very premature and spent five weeks in NICU...so that set up wouldn't have worked for me either.

Oh to be an Estonian mama right now...

How did you manage that while ebf? At 5 months babies should be fed on demand. Your baby went without milk or food all morning while you were at work? Not a chance that would have worked for me and my colicky baby. Not everyone has babies that would be possible for. You should count yourself lucky and not expect other mothers to do what you did.

So your solution would be to discourage childbirth rather than train up new doctors or build new houses and schools? What's that going to achieve when we have a higher proportion of elderly to those young enough to work/care for them?

Badenoch is a typical nasty Tory who can't see the bigger picture and always needs someone to point the finger at/fault.

Well done for sitting it off early to suit the position that's trying to be pushed.

Challenged on saying maternity pay is "excessive", the former minister said: "I think it's gone too far, too far the other way, in terms of general business regulation, we need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions.

"The exact amount of maternity pay, in my view, is neither here nor there. We need to make sure that we are creating an environment where people can work and people can have more freedom to make their individual decisions."

She never said the amount was excessive.. that's the narrative being pushed by those who are against Kemi.

If we can't compete with Croatia in terms of maternity pay, then something has clearly gone awry. I don't expect us to match an economic powerhouse like Sweden, with 56 weeks paid at 80 percent of citizens’ salary, and 13 additional weeks paid at a fixed rate thereafter, because that would mean having to tax the rich a tiny bit more.

I agree with this- if there were enough decent childcare options (or incentive for the second parent to take leave rather than statutory on shared parental leave) then I think 6 months is sufficient. I also managed to exclusively breastfeed and returned at 6 months. Managed to continue feeding until my boy was 2 and a half!

If I was a Conservative Party member, which I’m not, I wouldn’t vote for her solely for this comment. This kind of bullshit is electoral suicide.

In what way do you feel she was misrepresented?

“We need to have more personal responsibility - there was a time when there wasn’t any maternity pay and people were having more babies."

She said: "Maternity pay varies, depending on who you work for - but statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from people who are working.
"We’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.

She was then asked if this meant "maternity pay is excessive".
Badenoch said: "I think it's gone too far - too far the other way in terms of general business regulation."

Yes, I have twice. I went back to work at five months then six months and was lucky that I was able to start with half days and build up. If all employers were made to be flexible and there were enough decent childcare options available, I don’t think it would be a massive problem.

@SometimesCalmPerson
I've worked all my life from I was legally able to. Paid taxes, National insurance etc etc and into a pension so as I don't drain the pot, if I'm lucky enough to see old age/ retirement!

The least I could get back is a wee bit of financial support when I'm out of work raising children, especially when there are people getting support for nothing!!

If they increased the ability for fathers to take paternity leave and potentially split it to take at a later time (eg shared parental leave) then it might make it easier for women to return to work earlier.

i don’t think maternity pay has gone too far but I think it should probably be higher at first and then taper off more from 6 months. 6 months is enough if a secondary care giver can take time off at that stage or alternatively if more nursery places become available and the funding kicks in at 6 months.

I took 6 months maternity leave, I exclusively breastfed and continued to do so when I returned (not easy, but possible via expressing and preparing with freezer stash) and this was due to my husband taking 3 months when I returned to work. It has done us the world of good as a family and our household is more balanced than friends and colleagues where the mother took a full year

Amazing how quickly people believe the misinformation spewed by the media

I wonder why no one ever thinks to google and see what was actually said.

You'd think that women on Mumsnet might fact check a woman that had three kids whilst in office. I wonder why they don't

I think the reason women used to have more kids before maternity pay was because there wasn’t much access to contraception!

Also when she says it’s taking money from people in work and giving it to those not working, well only people who work get maternity pay so essentially we’re paying for ourselves over time.

Blimey.

A look at the UK’s excessive maternity policy.

‘There was a time when there was no maternity pay and women were having more babies’… yes correct and those women weren’t working, didn’t have contraception or any kind of independence nor freedom! What utter utter rubbish.

We live in a society now where women are often breadwinners and dual income households are the norm-and the country needs as many people working as possible. Less maternity pay will probably result in fewer women going back to work at all.

I see it as internalised misogyny. Child rearing is actually super important for a civilised society. It’s a tough job and because it falls to women mostly, especially in the early years, it’s scuppers or compromises or careers as well. She a misogynistic twat.

Despicable.

Totally disagree. This country is overpopulated. Not enough housing, not enough school places. Not enough doctors.

Where are these studies as most of the studies I’ve read suggest that good quality childcare is best for low and middle socioeconomic groups. Only the highest do not benefit from child care.

Statutory maternity pay is “excessive”? Wow!
The UK compares itself to America only a lot so in that sense people are usually quick to point out how bad the US is therefore how progressive the UK is but compared to most western counties the UK doesn’t even have particularly progressive mat pay!

But anyway, no I don’t remotely agree that 9 months on incredibly limited statutory pay is excessive. Nor do I think harking back to a time when “women didn’t get mat pay but had more babies” is anything to aim for.

Totally disagree. There aren’t enough nursery places for everyone to go back to work after six months. Childcare is ridiculously expensive and partners may not earn enough to afford to support themselves, children and partner. Partners may not be on the scene for many reasons.
The world you live in must be very different from mine.