Maternity leave for all!

[Grey Area]

OK, so as one half of a childless couple we do get a bit upset over maternity leave. I know, looking out for the next generation and all that, but still at the same time it bugs us that you get a year off with pay (I know, not full pay, but still) and we never will.

My other half came up with a good idea though, and I just wanted to see if it would fly.

Anyone who doesn't take maternity leave can retire a year early, with their salary replaced by what would be maternity pay at the same time, and no penalties to pension etc or other rights.

In effect, if you haven't had a baby by the time you're 65-ish, you get the same time off that everyone else who HAD babies would have done.

What do people think? Obviously there's no limit on how many "real" maternity leaves parents can take, but you can't really allow for that - allowing everyone
the time off at least once at least redresses the balance a little bit.

By the way I've used the word "maternity" leave here, but it should be read to include paternity leave as well.

 

[LoopyLouize]

What do people think? Obviously there's no limit on how many "real" maternity leaves parents can take,

Can you clarify what you mean by this?

Just to add, you do not get a full year paid leave on SMP.

 

[Rowesb]

I think to head onto a forum such as this you are possibly asking the wrong group of people a very random question...
I am trying to figure out why you are childless as this would change the way I respond.... but I guess you take sick leave, use the NHS, so would you also add on years of to incorporate this if you did not use it??? ...
Also within my maternity entitlement I am only 'paid' for 9 moths of this entitlement, the last 3 month would be without any pay/smp
Welcome to the forum

 

[cosmicgirl]

You don't get a year off with pay, you get 9 months at a reduced rate and 3 months unpaid so that's wrong for a start.
Many people (myself included) struggle massively financially whilst on mat leave and are often forced back to work while our lo's are very young so believe me, you have nothing to feel envious there!

What about folk who don't work at all and get their whole lives paid for without working at all? Isn't that more annoying than hard working mothers getting paid a pittance whilst on mat leave?

Sorry but your post really irked me.

 

[Franna75]

Good point all and what a random question. Grey area needs to look a lot further in to society....its almost laughable. Im not even going to write any more..its obviously someone doing a school project.

 

[cosmicgirl]

@ school project x

 

[Loula]

its so gotta be a guy as i got all this said to me by the guys at work x

 

[cosmicgirl]

Yeah. "Those bloody women getting year off for giving birth" lol x

 

[Loula]

thats exactly it lol x

 

[Jasmine111]

You don't get a year off with pay, you get 9 months at a reduced rate and 3 months unpaid so that's wrong for a start.
Many people (myself included) struggle massively financially whilst on mat leave and are often forced back to work while our lo's are very young so believe me, you have nothing to feel envious there!

What about folk who don't work at all and get their whole lives paid for without working at all? Isn't that more annoying than hard working mothers getting paid a pittance whilst on mat leave?

Sorry but your post really irked me.

Completely agree with you. I think grey area could look at those who don't want to work as part of his school project. The post annoyed me aswell.

 

[Emily0505]

You don't get a year off with pay, you get 9 months at a reduced rate and 3 months unpaid so that's wrong for a start.
Many people (myself included) struggle massively financially whilst on mat leave and are often forced back to work while our lo's are very young so believe me, you have nothing to feel envious there!

What about folk who don't work at all and get their whole lives paid for without working at all? Isn't that more annoying than hard working mothers getting paid a pittance whilst on mat leave?

Sorry but your post really irked me.

Annoyed me too! Obviously doesn't understand how mat pay works huh?

If any changes are made to maternity pay, i vote it goes up!!!!

XX

 

[kat1988]

I don't disagree with grey area...as long as the following is also put into place...

1. smp!?!? make it enough to live on, it's not enough to even cover the bills atm

2. take into consideration child are costs, which in my opinion should be free for single parents to enable them to work, as at the moment I know alot of people can't afford to work as child care costs alone (een when taking into consideration the help that is avaliable through the gov) are more than a average person can earn

3. any person taking this suggested equivalent of maternity pay should be made to do long shifts of community service, raising a child is not a holiday! it's a 24/7 job where you don't sleep properly for months at a time and even when you start to sleep overnight the shifts are still longer than most working people do, and is even worse for single parents/if the baby has colic or is otherwise unwell

 

[Pudds86]

I too would like to know why you don't have children as it would change my reply slightly but i mostly disagree.

At the end of the day if we don't reproduce what happens? Therefore no, i think i pay my taxes like the next person, im taking maternity leave. no you shouldn't get to retire early because you can stop working whenever you want, we all have to be 65 to claim our pension now. Argument has no backbone as far as im concerned. If.your smart enough you'll have saved money or entered into a private pension which enables you to retire before state age anyway. I think people need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and just bloody get on with it, stop worrying what other ppl have going on. Its not tit for tat.

Sent from my shit hot phone! Fo shizzle home girls.

 

[CARNAT22]

What an odd post??

Just because you are childless doesn't mean you have to be ignorant.

Go read up a little about SMP.

OP if you find any company that gives full pay for a year's maternity leave can you let me know so I can go get a job there

 

[Princess81]

Ok, so you've joined Pregnancy Forum. A place for parents and those waiting to try or trying to conceive, which of these categories do you fall into? You have made one post and a controversial one at that. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread but I'm pretty sure it's provocative and generally annoying and I see no need for it to be here. If you want that sort of question answering go to a debate forum, not a parenting forum.

 

[Pippa1703]

Yeah sure, do it!
but in that early year of retirement, you should have to donate the same amount of that pay as new mums have to pay to look after their newborn child. See if it feels like a 'holiday'
Oh and go without any for three months too. You'd also have to spend afternoons waiting in doctors surgeries and hospitals and everywhere you do go, you have to carry around a 14lb weight with accessories.

That is sadly the most ignorant and misdirected thing I've read on this forum so far. Do you think that women on maternity leave are sipping sangrias in Ibiza? No. They're up to the neck in poo. Some will be recovering from surgery.

I've got no children, I'm also self employed so i won't get maternity leave either, I'll be claiming maternity allowance when my time comes. Even when I didn't like the idea of children, surely you can understand the need for the time??!

 

[katie_lou]

Strange post but just to clarify we font get a year off with full pay we get 9 months leave at a reduced pay rate and if we want an additional 3 months off we then have to take that as unpaid leave .

 

[monkeynut]

Yeh cause maternity leave is one loooong holiday... Not!

I am working harder than when I was at work!

How about people not having retirement a year early, but in their last year they do 24 hour shifts- that would be more realistic

 

[cosmicgirl]

Hahaha yeah, 24 hour shifts whilst someone twists your nipples every 3 hours until they bleed x

 

[sazz]

This is just a very silly thing to post on this kind of forum,

I would love to get paid for a full year but as it stands I can only afford to take 6 months off as once I go on SMP we will be in the minus for living and paying the mortgage.

My LO will be possibly only 4 -5 months old when he goes into nursery and I'm gutted about that but I know that my maternity package is loads better than some other people so I like to think of myself as very lucky.

grey area needs to do some serious reading into this and also try looking after a LO for 24hrs and then tell us that she should get some sort of entitlement for not having any children.