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

Yes most women have children out of choice but there are also lots of women who don’t have a child, or more than one child, because they can’t afford childcare or not to work. Society needs a big chunk of women to make the choice to have a baby. That’s what maternity leave helps with.

So yes it’s a choice but it’s one developed societies need women to make. People are acting like it’s a choice free from consequences, it’s a risky choice women make. It’s not a fucking holiday and whilst helping society probably doesn’t factor to individual decisions it’s needed at population level.

It was for me and most parents I know.

I travelled a lot during mat leave, and since baby slept through after 9 weeks wasn’t sleep deprived either.

Maternity leave and parenting isn’t hard for everyone. So I can see where the OP is coming from

Good for you. 🙄

There might be. It would be a good retention tool for valued employees with scarce skills. John Lewis saw the value of it, they used to give employees a paid year off after 25 years.

Maternity ain't no holiday!!

If women are allowed extended paid leave to schlep around the world, then so should men.
The impact on businesses, especially small ones, would be huge.

In the private sector maybe. In the public sector they wouldn’t allow it unless you were helping to build schools in Africa or studying or something.

Her kids will be building the economy of tomorrow. We are going to have a pension crisis if people stop having children.

OMFG!!! You should have actually read through that before you clicked 'post' because if you had, you would have surely realised what a vile offensive post that is.

Dear god this thread blows my mind.

1. Having kids is absolutely essential to the functioning of the economy and wider society. As is encouraging women back into the economy.

1. Having parents or non- parents take some paid time off does not achieve either of the objectives at 1. Great if some employers find it helps with retention to offer sabbaticals (paid or unpaid) but outside of that there is no functional reason for this.

Let me also be clear that in performing my essential public service at 1, I have (a) had various fairly unpleasant internal exams, had my body cut open, and tried to heal it whilst getting no more than 1-2 hours sleep at a time; 2, given up all, and I mean all, free time. Trying to work a full time job plus parent means there is nothing left for me. 3, am considerably poorer, childcare alone (let alone food, activities, clothes) takes up over 60% of my income (and I am one of the lucky ones), no more meals out, new clothes for me or DH etc 4. Not had a full nights sleep in eight years, 5. Been repeatedly discriminated at work.

So no, I don't think you should get paid time off - the situations and economic realities are completely different.

Would you give your maternity pay back then, to make it fair for those who can only take unpaid sabbaticals because they didn’t make your life choice?

Hahahahahahaha - you're funny OP!

What would your time off work add to society or do to support your community? Women having children and taking maternity leave are raising the next generation of doctors, nurses, carers, teachers etc. what would your six months off do to help anyone other than yourself?

Maybe you need to suggest a shadowing scheme where you spend a week with someone on mat leave so you realise how awful it is.

Apart from rape, no one forces you to have sex or indeed a child.

Don’t worry it’s a windup thread

Absolutely having pregnancy and having a baby is not an easy job. Women need time to recover. This society undermines women.

Merely countering this view many want to perpetuate that maternity leave is hard on everyone and therefore not a fair comparison.

I don’t know many parents who struggled during their parental leave, many on here want to make it sound worse to validate themselves.

Well what if I'd want to get plastic surgery. It's still recovery. Shouldn't I be allowed the same leave? Parents are just because they want kids.

It's not altruistic, they want to have kids. Some people don't, I think it's reasonable to say everyone should have the same amount of time and choose what they'd want to do with it. Simple.

So what happens if you use up your allotted time off but then subsequently get pregnant and have a baby? What happens then?

It's not awful enough to stop people from having kids. People have kids because they want them.

Let's not make it out to be so hard. no one is forcing you to do it

Random :s

Then you don't get more. I think it's ok to have a policy that means people have to be sensible

What are your thoughts on sick leave? Should those who have never taken any be able to just take additional time off?

I don’t agree with your premise, but i can appreciate it must seem unfair for others to get time off paid if you can’t.

In my opinion while having a child is a choice, the impacts of having one aren’t a choice. My career has halted and I can’t work additional hours to be able to compete with others due to childcare. My time off work on maternity leave is necessary to be able to care for the child.

I do think there should be better provision in a lot of companies for fathers though. And personally, I think better provision for carers generally I.e. those caring for elderly.

I agree OP. I absolutely loved maternity leave and it was like an extended holiday.

I am able to take an unpaid sabbatical but think everyone should get a one off 6 month sabbatical funded like mat leave.

Nope, I got 9 months enhanced mat leave so that would be a lot to give back.

I'm just saying I understand where the OP is coming from and agree with her.

Many come onto threads like this and whine how hard maternity leave is, but it’s not true for everyone. Mine was like a holiday, spent a lot of it traveling so would have looked like one too.

I don’t know many parents who ‘struggled’ on parental leave either. Out of my NCT group only one or two had tough babies and recoveries.