To think statutory maternity pay should be the same amount as the state pension?

[BridgertonToBe]

I don’t have children, probably never will. But I do think SMP is shockingly low, and if the government is really worried about the birth rate they should look at this.

Many women on maternity only get SMP and no enhanced package from their employer. It’s current set at a maximum of £187.18 a week for 39 weeks. If mothers want to be off for 52, it will be unpaid.

The new state pension is £230.25 a week. While those on maternity may have a partner to support them, they probably won’t have any other income while many pensioners also have a private pension alongside the SP.

AIBU to think that if £230.25 is needed by all pensioners over 66 for a basic standard of living (who probably have less outgoings than a young family), SMP should be the same?

If we can afford to pay the state pension to every pensioner for the rest of their lives out of NI, we can afford to support new working mothers birthing and raising the next generation of workers for a short amount of time. The financial hit is a big deterrent for people having children. I also think SMP should be paid from birth until the child’s first birthday.

Sounds like I'm about the same age as you. Absolutely 100% our generation had it easier than young people now. And am I right in thinking the 15% interest rates boomers have been banging on about for 40 years only lasted about a short time and they had MIRAS to off set some of it?

Absolutely. We already keep an eye on our generally independent 80 year old neighbour and often do pick up bits from the supermarket for him.

But the 85 year old who is doubly incontinent, has dementia, needs two people to hoist them…where is that leg work coming from? Because, from someone who works in health and social care, let me tell you that isn’t a rare situation.

Honestly, I’m currently on my second maternity leave and I disagree with you. We planned for our babies, we saved to cover this time, I’m having the time off we can afford- I have friends who took 4-6 months rather than 9-12, you have to cut your cloth really. The SMP we get is far better than other countries provide and the funded childcare & tax free childcare from 9 months makes a massive difference.

Having a child is a choice no it is not a community service getting old is not

Well let's hope that's what all the 30 somethings who are presently complaining will be doing. I very much don't want to hear them complaining about how hard it is to live on a pension when I'm 95.

I agree OP, but only if parents return to work to pay tax. We need to support working families as much as possible or women will stop having children and we’ll all be fucked!

I'd rather raise sickness benefits for working people than maternity benefits.

I'm zero hours but usually work full time hours.

If I'm sick, I get nothing for three days and then about £115 a week. If I have an accident or serious illness, I'm screwed as I can't afford to pay my basic living costs on £115 a week.

I've worked for over 30 years now and paid plenty in but there's no safety net should I need one.

If more people are looked after by communities it leaves the ones who need higher levels of care to get paid care we need. We're not going to zero care workers anytime soon. Communal living for as long as possible is key but it won't happen as people want to live in their own little bubble with their spare bedrooms and 50 Xmas gifts.

You have a choice whether or not to have a child….to equate SMP to state pension then maybe have it paid at same rate for equivalent years that you’ve paid into the system as that’s how state pension is calculated.
Maybe have child benefit & free nursery hours tagged to state pension e.g. no benefits if you earn over £12k a year (assuming you’ve paid in for 35 years?
Some people think they’re entitled to the world!

I agree with you. I’m the high earner at home and only got stat maternity pay. We saved up for my leave but then I had twins 🫠 Two car seats, two cots, twice as much formula, a lot more clothes (even with the washing machine on constantly we needed a lot!!) it felt crippling with the stat pay. Forgetting any comparison to pensions, it’s been so low for so long, it really should be increased.

Things always have to change somewhere and at sometimes though don't they.

I feel like we are two sides of the same coin here. I totally agree that actually recognising family and community care is so important. It should be recognised (and financially supported) far more.

But, from a purely economic sense, if more people are spending less time earning money because they are caring, alongside an overall decrease in the amount of people available to care and/or earn to pay for those higher care needs individuals (of which there are a lot and ever growing) we are in trouble. Catch 22 situation really.

I suppose its swings and roundabouts, apart from a few very generous (in time and salary) countries in Eastern Europe, most of Europe seems more generous money wise, but for only about 5/6 months.
I would rather have the 52 weeks (and save up before hand) then go back to work with a 3/4 month old (some countries make you leave work at 7/8 months).

Young working families have it much harder today than in the past. We need to put public money into supporting them as much as possible. It is a scandal that wealthy pensioners receive winter fuel allowance when working families dont

I’m always puzzled by assertions like this. People proclaiming that would be parents should get themselves to a specific financial point before having kids but never apply this rationale to retirement.

Younger people are far less likely to die from the cold than the elderly.

I'm not talking about people earning less/working less. I'm talking about doing things differently e.g. if you're cooking tea, taking some round to a neighbour, popping in to check on them at the weekend, moving an extended family member into your spare room, growing some veg and sharing the spare etc.

The financial climate is a big reason for the birth rate dropping.

No it's not. There are many countries in EU which provide crazy generous support for families. Germany is one of the examples. Yet birthrates there are falling. In contrast with African countries, many of which don't have SMP/free childcare etc at all.

Brilliant article here which sums this up:

The unspoken truth about the baby bust

" Why is it so hard to accept that people don’t want many children, if any? All theories for the baby bust, other than choice, get undeserved shrift. One is that practical barriers — such as lack of childcare — stops people having the kids they tell surveys they want. So, Chad has a 6.1 birth rate because of subsidised crèches, does it? Shared child-rearing duties and free IVF explain Afghanistan’s 4.8? Finland (1.3) should send a research delegation to Mali (5.6)?"

"To clear up one thing: asking people whether they want more children is close to pointless. The question is whether they want them above other things. Stated desires are not useful information unless ranked. I want to be more successful, but not as much as I want to sleep until 10am. People want larger families, but not as much as they want leisure and surplus cash."

This is absolutely something we should do more of. But do you really think the huge cost - both in man power and money - to support people growing older comes from those who need the odd meal dropping round or a quick check in at the weekend? That is a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean, quite frankly.

If we're talking currently, yes it should massively help. I've explained many posts up what the longer term could look like with this but like I said nobody is willing to live differently really so it won't happen . We'll continue to overstretch ourselves thinking we're owed a certain lifestyle that we're a accustomed to.

I see a lot of people saying that the subsidised childcare at 9 months is a big help I just want to point out that this is England only. In scotland and I believe Wales it's not till 3.

Many people want a job but barriers prevent it so not as easy as you think. I just said these people to highlight differing benefit. Yes I do work too in a professional role.

I saw an interesting thing on Instagram recently (about Italys low birth rate, but I think it's probably a similar tale in a lot of Southern Europe) basically researchers investigating the low birth rate divided the 0/1 child people into 2 groups - the people having 0 children mainly just they didn't want any, but a lot of the other group who had 1 child would have wanted more but decided it wasn't affordable.

Young children and particularly babies are extremely
vulnerable to the cold.

True but they also have an adult looking after them, putting layers on them etc which most elderly people won't have.