Majority against expected cuts to maternity leave

The majority of women and employers are opposed to expected proposals to reduce maternity leave to18 weeks as part of the new shared parenting legislation, according to polls by Working Families and Netmums.
The survey results come in advance of announcements on legislative change to maternity and paternity leave likely to be made in the Queen’s Speech on 9 May.
The legislation, proposed in the Modern Workplaces consultation, states that maternity leave should be reduced to 18 weeks with the remaining leave currently available to women becoming “flexible parental leave” available to either parent.  It is likely that the proposals will be included in the Children and Families Bill in the next Parliamentary session.
Current law allows most women to return to work after two weeks, but the presumption is that they will take 52 weeks’ leave unless they tell employers they want to come back sooner.  Under the new plans, Working Families fears the presumption will be 18 weeks of maternity leave after which women will have to ask for more leave and negotiate with their employer about how it may be taken.
A Netmums survey of 1,500 mothers found nearly 60 per cent of mothers said it would be hard to ask for more time off, if they had had to request more leave after 18 weeks of maternity leave with 24 per cent of these saying their employer would have made it clear that they wanted them back at that time.

Asked if they would take advantage of their partners being able to take “shared leave”, 17% said their partner would be keen to take shared leave; 28% said he might want to but it wouldn’t happen in practice; while a further 41% said the family could not afford for the father to take the time off.

Working Families also asked eleven leading employers what they thought of the 18 week maternity leave proposal.  Nine of the eleven said they’d prefer a default of 26 weeks’ maternity leave to the 18 week proposal.  Employers concerns included likely higher absenteeism among women returning before they were ready, costs of rearranging leave cover if plans change, and the importance of retaining women’s workplace talent.

Netmums founder Sally Russell said: ”Women are very strongly saying that 18 weeks of maternity leave is not enough.  It is possible to have a system that works for mums and dads but this isn’t it.

”The findings show that an 18-week limit may well push women out of employment and the result will be the opposite of what the Government are trying to achieve.”

Working Families Chief Executive, Sarah Jackson said: ”This isn’t just about what women want: some of our top employers are warning of hidden costs to business if women come back too soon.  We urge the Government to think again: 18 weeks of maternity leave is simply too short for women’s wellbeing and for business success.”
Viv Matthews, Head of Human Resources for Henmans LLP, an Oxford based law firm with 125 employees, said: “These proposals are a retrograde step.  We know that women value spending longer at home bonding with their new child.  Working mums find it hard to return even after six or twelve months, and we want to ensure they are fit and ready when they do.  We support the aim to provide more choice in families but in reality few fathers will take up shared leave. Reducing maternity leave to18 weeks may lead to long-term costs to employers.”
In a letter to Ministers, seventeen members of the Working Parents Group coalition have called on the Government to rethink its proposals.  They warn that a new presumption of 18 weeks could harm equality in the workplace and bring “hidden costs” to business if women return too soon.