To think that all of these proposed policies are pointless?

[Dyrne]

General Election 2019: Labour promises year of maternity pay www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50338831

Was reading this article where labour are crowing about how many lovely policies they are proposing around Maternity Pay, Sexual harassment, discrimination etc; and was just thinking that all of that is completely pointless?

If anyone can identify as a woman; then you’re not protecting female spaces. If a self declared man can be a mother, then suddenly it’s not sex discrimination to be fired for having a baby, because men can be mothers too.

Labour are pretending to champion women on the one hand while on the other systematically destroying what it actually means to be a woman.

Carol yes re economics.

Saying women can take 1 year ML doesn't help when many households cannot fund one parent living on SMP. I'm lucky, I work in an industry where enhanced ML is the norm, with 20 weeks at full pay offered before SMP. However even with that I could not afford to take 1 year. DH works in a company where men only get statutory paternity pay so has used AL each time we've had a baby. Due to this shared paternity pay isn't an option to consider as we couldn't afford the income drop. That's true of many households.

If a political party can solve the economics issue that:-

1. many organisations (particularly small businesses) can not afford to fund enhanced maternity or paternity pay based on current proposals
2. Many households cannot afford to fund either/both parents having extended time off
3. Childcare is extortionate despite those working in the industry earning low incomes

Then extending leave may be worth investigation. Fully agree that this disproportionately affects women - DH has never been guilt tripped that he's not working part time and did not have a career break. While I have been judged on numerous occasions for being a full time worker with children and taking less than a year each times. It's ridiculous

Sorry if that read as a rant! But it infuriates me that as a women I feel people think I'm responsible solely for childcare/decisions/should be part time etc.

Maternity rights do need sex to be a protected characteristic; because without it you are going to get men claiming they are pregnant or breastfeeding and there will be nothing you can do to challenge their claim.
You are not going to be able to say 'you're a man and men can't get pregnant' for much longer.

Labour says it wants to transform the workplace for women. It's a powerful statement of intent from the party

As long as those bloody women don't want to actually be in charge of the Labour Party tho, AMIRITE?

Not their workplaces, just everyone else's.