Work and Maternity

Earlier this week a local friend of mine was featured in a Guardian article looking at maternity leave stories. In essence, the piece was arguing that despite the legislation, the political will and the increasing equality women have in the workplace, when it comes to respecting our full legal entitlement in relation to maternity, we’re still, in the country, getting a great deal wrong.

Personal Experience

It got me thinking about my own experiences, which in part echoed those of some of the other women featured. Before I had my first child I had a secure, full time civil service position. When I fell pregnant, the wheels clanked into motion, but without sufficient speed, and I contracted slap cheek (or parvo virus) which put my baby’s health at risk. My employer was reluctant to take responsibility for having failed to risk assess me properly, and I spent my last full working day attending the hearing of the formal grievance I undertook against them. I didn’t succeed, didn’t expect to, but I hoped to have made a point about their systems and processes.

During that period of maternity leave my employer looked to contract out the service I worked for, and upon my return to work on a part time basis, the decision had been made and the process of tendering and awarding the contract was well underway. You won’t be surprised to learn that the terms and conditions on offer from our new employer were not as favourable as we had enjoyed previously, and thus when our second child was born, belts needed tightening far more than previously. As those months progressed, it became clear to me that the doubled costs of childcare and the logistics of family life were going to mean that returning to work on the same basis as I had been working when I fell pregnant with him, wasn’t going to be sustainable.

My company had been endeavouring to recruit salaried staff who would be willing to turn themselves into freelancers. They would guarantee a minimum amount of work, easing the deal with a golden ‘goodbye’ as it were. As I re-did the sums of returning as a salaried employee, and tried to work out how I would meet the requirements of my job description and be the mum I wanted to be to our kids, I concluded that I had no option but to take them up on their offer. I did so, and their guarantee of work was not forthcoming. In effect, they found a cheap and easy way of making me redundant.

Like my friend in the article, I can’t say that I am truly that sad about this. While I am earning less than I did, my professional life is now more satisfying, and there is more time for me and the kids. I juggle more, and occasionally get weary from the effort of it all, but am ultimately in a better place than I was. None of this takes away the fact that I, like my friend and so many other women, did not receive fair treatment as a pregnant woman or new mum, first and second time over. How can that be, in the 21st century, in one of the world’s most developed economies? Why is so difficult for governments and the legal system to square the demands of the market place with our higher ideals for respecting new motherhood?

What Can I Do?

If you’re facing difficulties of this nature at present, we have a number of articles on our permanent ages that might be of interest to you. You can read about pregnancy discrimination in the workplace here and about rights of the self-employed here. You might be being treated unfairly, or threatened with redundancy, or being denied your return to work on the terms and conditions once agreed upon. Whatever your circumstance, we hope you find the answers you need and find a way to argue your case.

This article is a feature from the MUM.com Trusted Bloggers Club.

About the author

Leoarna Mathias

A writer who's beginning to write, claims my twitter bio. My specialist subjects include the parenting 'juggle', the 'help' we get from the policy makers, and what it means to be a mum in the 21st century. Nothing too adventurous then... Proud to lead the Trusted Blogger Club!

Click here to read my full biography.

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