orange-sox

Just wondering what peoples views on this are?

Can maternity leave jeopardise women's careers?

My views -

Yes, it does affect your career, you've been out of the work place for the duration of your maternity leave (however long or short that may be) and therefore will need to catch up on any advancements in your field, developments in your company etc. Okay, so you will have missed out on that period you have been away, and therefore someone who started at the same time as you but didn't take time off may get a promotion before you, I don't see that as a problem (maybe it's just me though).

What I do think is wrong, is the fact that there are many women of "child bearing age" who don't even get considered for a post purely because employers don't want the hassle associated with pregnancy, maternity leave, children being ill etc. I find it utterly despicable that there are thousands of us out there (me included) that can't get jobs because we either have children, or may have children.

I think what I'm trying to say is, being female, and having the prospect of having children jeopardises your career, sometimes before it's even started, it's not just maternity leave that do this.

I would be really interested to hear what other people have to say

leedsforever

yep its been proven that loads of women each year miss out on promotions!!!

Im almost 100% that I would have been asked to be restaurant manager but I was pregnant so didnt get asked!!!

xXDonnaXx

Christ,I'm not clicking on that link again! My comp went do-laly! Loading up loads of pages.

orange-sox

LOL sorry Donna, I typed something wrong in the link, silly cow

owo

I would have to agree that it definetly effects your ability to get a job if you are off child bearing age. I don't get maternity benefits where i work apart from what the government gives me, so a couple of years ago when i knew that we would be planning on TTC now, i started looking around for jobs. Not only do i have to battle against the stereotype that seems to still be around that women can't run IT teams (rubbish i know), but it does seem to exist still, but i was 28 at the time and married. I went to one interview where i actually got asked "How will you home life effect your commitment to your job". I said the same as yours does. I did get offered a second interview but declined it as i didn't want to work for an a££$%%e like that.
The only luck i've ever had finding a job is with large companies that don't seem to have this problem with Women of child bearing age in IT.

buffycat

owo...not sure about that.....

i work in a large IT company, and i know that someone in my area (same job as me) didn't get her promotion last year because she was on maternity leave.....i feel for her to be honest - she came back to work after 6 months, did 3 months at 4 days a week and is now full time again.....


i want a promotion this year - that happens in December though....so if i do get pregnant, i'm going to have to keep it quiet for a while....

PeanutBean

Definitely affects our career prospects and it's all there in the stats about the hours women work, the lower pay we get for the same work, the level of our careers etc etc....

I moved out of academia and a strong reason for doing so was because I wanted a family. There is little to no hope for getting a good scientific career if you are a woman and choose to have a family. Most successful female academics either don't have kids or wait until later in life when they're more established. Either that or make other sacrifices in favour of their career.

It's pretty shit!

TrixieLox

It puts you back by a year - which is a no-brainer I guess but you know what I mean. By being put back a year, that in itself delays any kinda promotion. But if you worked hard pre-maternity leave, any good company will not allow it to affect your career prospects. But there are many crap companies out there.

It doesn't help when people you work with who have had maternity leave take the piss so much. EG. coming in at 10am and sneaking out at 2.30pm despite having not agreed these hours with the boss. Not putting the work in. Causing problems. This is an individual case I know of and the girls in the office have all agreed it's made our boss weary of promoting anyone else who has a newborn / is pregnant now. x

owo

I was just saying that in my experience i have been lucky with large companies. However i haven't been off on maternity leave yet to see how it will effect me. It sucks that your colleague had this experience. In mediteranean countries they seem to love babies and see it as a positive, i just don't get why it's seen as an issue in the UK. It would be more of an issue if there weren't a continued influx of new little tax payers.

ryder

For some careers, yes definately it does affect them.

For me, not so much. I work in a hospital in nursing and there really isn't too much room for advancement lol. It is the ideal career which pays well for someone like me who wants to start a family.

My work is entitled to hold my place in senority when I leave, so I will be coming back to my job, they are entitled to give me my wage and any raises and backpay that may have occured. Plus for the first 6 months they top up my maternity pay from 55% (or whatever regular mat benefits are here) to 90% of my pay.

I can come back in a year, work the 6 months and be off on mat-leave again.

Since a hospital is a busy work environment, people constantly come and go, so it isnt a big deal to them.