To think that women without children should be able to take time off work too?

[Playfair]

Firstly I will say that I am 100% supportive of good maternity leave (and paternity / shared), and understand the importance of supporting women to maintain a career, care for children or whatever else they wish.

I also acknowledge that maintaining birth rates is critical for society. And that maternity leave is spent doing work in raising a child.

Reflecting on my company's good maternity policy (about 6 months paid) and also some other institutions that have announced paid time off for those undergoing fertility treatment, it leaves me wondering about those of us without children (by choice or otherwise).

I'm in my thirties and will never have children. I'd love to have a small amount of paid time off (in addition to usual annual leave) to do some lengthy travel for example. I can't see why we can't have access to something similar if you haven't used any maternity benefit by a certain point.

There would obviously be benefits for society & business from developing new skills, morale etc. As well as women in work contributing to economy and through taxation.

So,

YABU - Women who choose not to have children shouldn't be entitled to anything else

YANBU - Women should be able to claim a small amount of extra paid time off if they stay in a career and contribute to business and societies success

Hypothetically I think you'd need a qualifying period of service such as 5 or 10 years without taking maternity.

Lot of people who chose to be mothers here who seem to resent it? Just don't have kids if it's so miserable?

I don't think you're being unreasonable. I work for the NHS and we get paid family leave - it's something like 4 weeks during the course of our employment. I do think non parents should be able to avail of something similar.

The government needs women to have children. There are often discussions in European countries about how to boost the birth rate. It’s nothing to do with getting a nice break.

I'm a childless woman and I think this is ridiculous! I think you should have the option to take longer unpaid holidays (I took 3 months off during a previous job to go and volunteer in a game reserve!) But it absolutely shouldn't be paid, maternity leave it essential for women to be able to have children and keep their jobs, you just want a funded holiday 🤣

If your work do 6 months paid maternity leave, they almost certainly have a sabbatical policy. That leave is well and above the average and I would expect that is reflected in other areas of the company policies too.

However, most women are on SMP not 6 months of full pay. £150 something a week really doesn’t go far and it feels shit to be worrying about money and paying your rent/mortgage whilst knowing you aren’t in a position to go back to work yet because you’re sleep deprived and have no childcare. I wasn’t happy in my job but I was still desperate to get back to work after 4 months (I did 9 because I had no childcare). It’s not a holiday. It’s lonely and isolating. You question your worth constantly and go back to work feeing like an imposter.

I took 2 lots of maternity leave, one for 9 months, one for 6 months.

I'd also love 6 months off to go travelling.

Surely this idea would discriminate against women who have children by taking that perk away from them?

What amount men? So the one that don't take paternity can have time off paid elsewhere. So you'd have an influx of men picking travelling time off over paternity leave

This is starting to sound like discrimination. To suggest that people should have a right to paid time off - except if they’ve taken maternity leave?!

By the same token then people should be given prolonged sick leave for elective cosmetic surgery. Because it's a choice and often requires a long recovery. Like childbirth.

Do you think maternity leave is the same as doing something for yourself, like travelling or a holiday?

It's more comparable to caring for a dying or disabled relative - basically something for someone else that needs to be done for the good of all society. Babies are our future employees, future customers, babies aren't always planned, and are completely reliant on other people's care to survive.

I can see the argument for allowing paid carers' leave under similar circumstances - but you can't compare it to being paid to travel or have a six month holiday.

You know maternity leave isn't a fucking holiday? It can be incredibly hard. Yeah I'd love extra time off to travel too?

Don't be ridiculous. If anything the current situation is discriminatory.

@Playfair - what about men, do they get the same?

I think this is a disgusting post tbh. Giving birth isn't a walk in the park and if you want mat "perks" you need to be willing to push or undergo MAJOR surgery leaving you with a C scar. People even die during child birth or end up with PND. How thoughtless OP.

It's petti AF do you want to copy people who have long term sick leave also?

You have your choices OP. Before I was a mother I loved my care free life. Don't think the grass is greener....

You could offer to take six months off to look after someone elses baby or poorly relative.

Maternity leave is not a holiday, neither is it paid well.

I thought parents got parental leave because it benefits the baby? So OP you've already had your share of this leave if your parents took paid time off to look after you. (Sucks if they didn't, but that's why we're trying to fix it for future generations)

You are writing this post as if women only have children to have the paid time off work which is not the case. It ain't a holiday. I haven't slept through the night for over 4 years - I'm effectively on call 24 hours a day for life. It's more manageable now I don't have a newborn but that maternity leave is very much needed when you first give birth. I couldn't walk properly for 6 weeks after my first!

I think they should, yes.

Sabbatical or caring leave, yes.

But you can't say "I want a holiday to travel" and put that on a par with maternity leave. You yourself said "maternity leave is spent doing work in raising a child."

And pp who said to lay off "poor old me"... all that stuff is actually true. Then throw in recovery from births, colicky babies. And the never ending washing / feeding /weaning. It's not all cuddles and snuggles, it's wearing and draining too. There's no way having 6 months jolly is the same!

If you choose not to have a child then you don’t experience the motherhood penalty.

here’s wiki for an explanation en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherhood_penalty

that’s your ‘perk’ for not having maternity leave. Typically better wages, carer prospects and seen as more competent.

I can't see why we can't have access to something similar if you haven't used any maternity benefit by a certain point.

Well something similar would be caring for a sick family member maybe, or providing childcare for someone in your family who needs support. Maybe doing some volunteering for a charity.
Not going on an extended holiday. I did enjoy my maternity leave - not everyone does. I think for me in many ways maternity leave and motherhood is like a job that you are very passionate about - which I also have. You really enjoy it, and in most cases it’s your choice to do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s like a holiday! I love my paid job and have fun doing it - but it is a pretty intense job and is knackering. Just like maternity leave - I can’t decide which was more tiring to be fair.
So another ‘similar’ thing to do would be to find another job you really love for 6 months, that’s also really tiring! But I don’t suppose you can expect your company to pay for that…

Yes having children is a choice, but it's a choice that both sexes make. Maternity leave laws exists to protect women.

Maternity leave and fertility treatments aren't just a jolly

Mother of two here and I'd like some paid time off to recover from traumatic births, maternity leave tainted by exhaustion and mental health issues (I really wasn't back to myself by the time I had to go back to work either time), a year of working full time with a toddler who woke three-four times a night, and holding down a job that a makes a contribution to society whilst working from home and looking after two small children during the pandemic lockdowns (didn't miss a day, and my house actually increased on top of all the extra childcare!). Going off travelling for a few weeks would be an absolute dream, but I now use all my annual leave for childcare so even an afternoon to myself is a rare treat...

I guess maternity leave is just one of those weird holdovers we have from a time when we as a collective made investments in the future population. At the end of it, maternity leave is an investment in a future taxpayer where a year's sabbatical is not.

This I agree with, especially as we will now work til we drop.

Not sure how would be funded.

However, this is by no means the same as maternity leave. If I had six months off for other reasons I wouldn’t spend it getting up every three hours in the night, not washing my hair and constantly dealing with leaky tits while wiping someone’s arse.