Maternity pay has gone too far

[EasterIssland]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c781m9v4255o

apologies if there is another thread about it.
havent seen one.

im lucky enough to have a good salary that would allow me saving beforehand . Statutory maternity pay would mean around 20-30% of my salary. Is this too far? It’s one of the many reasons why we decided to only have one. I felt really vulnerable when I was on maternity leave and didn’t feel I kept having spare cash every month. I do understand what she means tho , the sooner we’re back the less we get from the government and more taxes we pay. Coming from a woman hurts even more not being recognised the sacrifices we do whilst we are on maternity leave

Yeah if you don't return then pay it all back except maybe the first 6 weeks.

The scenario where people are returning to work for a few weeks and getting another load of maternity pay takes the piss as well. In my eldest,s workplace woman went on ML. Pregnant again when baby was 7 months. Officially returned to work when baby was 11.5 months then proceeded to use holiday and parental leave. So not actually in workplace more than odd day. Then off on 2 nd ML at 30 weeks pregnant not to return after 2 nd baby born

Should actually have to physically WORK a certain amount of time before being entitled to more maternity pay .

Why is that taking the piss? Everyone accrues annual leave while on mat leave, dependants leave is unpaid and again any parent is entitled to it until their child is 18 and often in a scenario like this the woman wouldn’t be entitled to enhanced pay.

Whats the difference between this and someone returning to work for a year or two and then having another baby? At least in this case the employee can continue with the initial cover and if anything it’s easier to manage logically.

WTF is she talking about. Doesn’t even make sense

Because she's taking money when she's not actually done any work since having the first baby. And obviously with no intention of returning after the second one

How would you know whether she has any intention to return to work after her second or not? You don’t even know her, she’s a total stranger.

And who is supposed for it

Because she didn't return duh

So what? It's a bit like when George Best had a liver transplant and agreed not to start drinking again, but did. Some do, but I'm not sure that's a case for stopping transplants.

And from an environmental standpoint? The world is overpopulated, there are dwindling resources, climate change and pollution only getting worse. Pumping out more babies due to falling birth rates only to make all of the above exponentially worse and thereby reducing quality of life for all of us in the long term seems incredibly close minded and counterintuitive to me. What's the point of a planet full of people when it's dying? Isn't that resigning all of these babies they want people to have to a worse life?

I'm afraid this has been the situation since time immemorial. I am 79. On leaving university with an Honours Degree in English and French at the age of 21 I found it almost impossible to get a job because I was young and was, obviously, going to start dropping infants immediately and need maternity leave! Also, I had spent 3 years at univeristy, gone through I don't-know-how-many three hour exams to earn my degree but it was insinuated to me that I had spent that time living the life of Riley, doing nothing and did I think I could now hold down a job . . . etc., etc. The prejudice shown towards women graduates is just jaw dropping! It sounds as if nothing much has changed either!

Hmm… so are you suggesting that all women are sterilised before puberty? Do you think we should impose a one child only policy?

Women generally have fewer children and have them later in life if they have access to education, contraception, and self determination!

The birth rate in the UK is below replacement level, which poses problems for the future as pensions are paid for by current workers, with an increasingly ageing population, you have to raise taxes on the working population to cover pensions and the ongoing costs to the NHS are caring for an aging population.

To manage this you can encourage immigration of working age people to contribute to tax receipts and spread the burden of an ageing population across more taxpayers, or you can impoverish pensioners and keep raising the retirement age to prevent raising taxes. (So more people die before receiving their pensions, and receive it for less time.

The pension age for me is already 68, which is older than either of my parents lived for, and it stagnates job opportunities for younger people.

China has reversed their one child policy for these reasons, and let’s not forget how horrendous things were for families who broke the one child rule and the impact that it has on their economy.

Carbon footprint and resource use varies greatly from family to family, and is very much linked to disposable income. A person with no children could easily use more carbon and resources than a family of five if they eat a diet rich in beef, take lots of long haul flights, drive a high emission car, live in an energy inefficient house etc….

A person with no children could easily use more carbon and resources than a family of five if they eat a diet rich in beef, take lots of long haul flights, drive a high emission car, live in an energy inefficient house etc….

This is so often said on MN but it isn’t true. Having a child dwarfs all of those things.

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/12/want-to-fight-climate-change-have-fewer-children

I also note in this example, the family is always depicted as living off the land and using rainwater for everything etc. whereas the childless person is flying all over, driving an SUV etc. Families in the Western world are just as likely to be over-consumers as the singletons, I’m afraid.

Cats kill lots of wildlife and decimate birds. Should we stop having them too?

I think they could be ok, provided they're kept permanently indoors or in a catio; which I believe is a thing.

Her comments are at best is short sighted at worst downright insulting and then they wonder why birth rates are falling so rapidly considering the little value placed on mothers!

Was she hoping to win support from the Tory membership, who are predominantly older people and are much more motivated by talk of Winter Fuel Allowance and Triple Lock Pensions?

I speak as an older person myself, somebody pointed out to me that student loan reform, European young person's travel schemes, free school meals, affordable housing and small class sizes are not of interest at Conservative conferences, and there is a reason for the pattern.

I agree with this.

I received a lot of "maternity entitlements have gone too far" comments from older women pre- and during pregnancy at work.

Anyone with an ounce of sense would at the very least not make it a point of campaign, because most voting age men benefit from their partner's entitlement.