Hey y'all,

Just wondering what everyone thinks of the proposal to allow mothers and fathers to split maternity time however they see fit. Personally I think it's fantastic and will prevent so many employers from choosing a man for a position when confronted with two equal candidates, one male and one female. (I realise they are not meant to do this now, but I guarantee they do!). It also allows fathers to play a more active role in bringing up the children from an early age of course.

Anyone against the policy? Or see other benefits/negatives in it?

I also think it's a good idea because it allows families to be more flexible and women to have a career without having someone they know briefly looking after their child. I also agree with what you said about women of childbearing age being more employable also.

I don't agree with splitting the time but think each person should be given a separate allowance. When I had my kids it would have been great if my husband could have had more time off but not as a shared option. Having a baby can take a huge medical toll on a woman's body which isn't always appreciated. I was really ill when I had both my children - I will spare you all the details! I needed all of my maternity leave to recover - if my husband had been banking on having his 'share' it would have been really disappointing. So from the perspective of equality in the job place and bonding time - both of which are important - give dad's more time but don't make it a split. I can see this causing all sorts of problems for employers too as the admin will be a nightmare.

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======= Date Modified 26 Jan 2011 10:46:18 =======
As a dad with a fairly new baby, I appreciate the choice, but personally I think baby's mum will want all the time, and will most likely get it. She certainly won't want to be sharing her precious maternity leave with me, and I am very happy to accommodate her wishes - after all, she did 99.999% of the work!

As an addendum: baby's mum absolutely loves it when we're both off work - anything that gives both mum & dad the right to be at home together for at least a little while is a good thing. But this isn't about that, so I'm rather indifferent about it to be honest.