Rachel Reeves MP and cabinet ministers taking maternity leave

[woeface]

Just saw this in the Mail about Rachel Reeves MP, who'd become Work and Pensions Secretary in the event of a Labour win at the election. She's pregnant, and would be going on maternity leave a month after taking up her post.

It makes me sad that this is considered newsworthy: I think that the real message is that women of childbearing age can't be trusted with powerful positions. Is it me, or do others feel uncomfortable too?

I'm not as unambiguous on this as I should be, which is wholly against what I've always thought my opinions were, but only because of the relative frequency of reshuffles, and if it were a longer period of maternity leave. Doing the job for a month, then taking say a full year of maternity leave, and then quite possibly being reshuffled when you've been back a month, I'd rather have the same person doing the job all the way through that 14 month period.

However, this isn't the case in this instance, and (if Labour form all or part of the next government and Rachel Reeves becomes a Minister of some description) taking three months is a very small period of time, and one would hope there won't be too many reshuffles. It being over the summer doesn't really change things for me - the recess has never been a holiday. And I know I'm illogical as a number of female ministers have taken maternity leave and it hasn't been an issue (for me or for them) - I suppose then it's just been a fait accompli, rather than something people mull over.

if you follow that logic aprilanne you would presumably also have a problem with fathers of young children being MPs as well?

There is a nursery at the House of Commons, she will have days in London and days in her constituency, at that level she's probably senior enough to organise things the way she wants (has anyone had their baby and nanny in their office for example?).

aprilanne So... parents can't work? When does it become okay to work? Or is it just demanding jobs and/or full time work that is the problem?

I presume this applies to both parents...

OOAOML I know an MP who, in the 90s, used to have one of his children in the office - not a baby, but when a young child, before they went to school. The child became quite a familiar face around there, and no one said anything. Permission wasn't sought though - if it had been, I don't know what would have happened.

I imagine it is trickier these days - I know in our office (large company) there has been a crackdown on people bringing their children into work, and you need manager approval to bring babies in etc. I imagine the insurance etc needs to be in order, and also health and safety (there was a horrible incident in a building in our city when a small child died after falling through a gap which complied with building standards for adult office occupation). But let's face it, even MPs struggling on their salaries as Mr Rifkind suggests can afford childcare, and MP isn't the only career with non-standard hours.

Is anyone suggesting that parents shouldn't travel for work, do shift work, be heart surgeons etc?

I just had a quick look through the webchat and Rachel outlined how maternity leave would work quite thoroughly - all the coverage really seems a complete fuss when it really doesn't need to be.

RugBugs is right. Her staff will run things and she's timed it well (how fortunate for those who conceive easily?!) with recess. They'll staff her office (I dislike the verb 'to man' especially in this context!!)

I think Kitty Ussher and Natascha Engel (both Labour / former Labour MPs) to name but two, took mat leave while MPs and / or fought elections while pregnant.

sorry it was obvious i was talking about the mother .not the father it may be sexist .but taking 3 months leave then .leaving baby is terrible .fathers are different sorry but its true .

I can see that physically a woman needs to recover from birth, and that if breastfeeding it is better for the mother to be at home in the early stages, but at 3 months I don't see why it is terrible. Families do what works for them.