child-producing breast-feeding legal thing

[IceBeing]

I have promotion criteria that involve 'international reputation' which is often rated by the number of international conferences one has attended. I have attended none in the last 3 years due to pregnancy and then breast feeding.

Is there any legal argument to be made that this is discriminatory?

yes this was initially an appeal for more legal information than I had...but not to apply it - just to persuade for change.

So it turns out that we got some external feedback on the appropriateness of our promotions process so I have a much stronger hand than I thought.

I am genuinely excited! I think we might do this - and sooner rather than later.

Excellent - when you say 'external feedback' you don't mean mumsnet do you?

OK I give up. I was trying to help, from a professional perspective with over 15 years specialist knowledge of employment and education law. I accept I am cynical, I accept that I may well be saying something you don't want to hear. I also believe and accept that the system is faulty. But on the legal matters board I wanted to gvie the perspective of an admittedly slightly jaded lawyer about the problem with this area of law (both on the straight legal basis, but also on the funding issues) and suggest the law was not the way to approach this problem to achieve the result which the OP wants. there are better ways than law to do this.

ha no not from MN! From the athena review panel. Kind of a WTF?? doesn't that cause problems?

everysilver no i totally agree - and to be honest it possibly would have gotten more backs up than it helps to point out the legalities.

We already have a 'doing it because HR say so ' vibe about many things which in reality are there to protect people.

www.ecu.ac.uk/our-projects/gender-charter-mark

If anyone can sort this out, Athena ought to be able to.

My daughter didn't want to join the science club at school and when I asked her why she said 'it's just for boys really'. You are kind of saying the same thing Icebeing. I thought this was the 21st Century!

Sorry - you are not saying this (now), but your institution is.