Who would hire a woman worker - Maternity pay to Treble !

Sapphire

melorablack wrote: »

If everyone stopped having kids because of the impact on the planet then what would be the point of the planet. Who would live on it?

Obviously, animals other than humans, and plants, which live in balance with each other without the interference of humans!

Who will look after you in years to come, whether you have enough money to ensure financial stability is one thing, but god forbid, you end up in hospital it will be the kids of today and tomorrow looking after you.

I'll look after myself, having worked incredibly hard all my life to ensure that I can do so.

The planet is here for us to live on and enjoy, if there is no one left to do that then all the work people put into savings the planet is useless and pointless.

What absolute nonsense! We have no 'right' to live on and 'enjoy' the planet, i.e. destroy it. Without people, the planet would not be destroyed – it is humans that are wreaking destruction on the creatures that share the planet with them.

fc123

Sapphire wrote: »

OK – to put it more clearly, having children can stop people (specifically women) from developing, because much of their time and energy can be taken up with looking after their children. (If you believe that procreation is your main reason for existence, then of course you will try to use any excuse you can to deny this fact.)

I agree that we are just another animal species. However, the difference is that we allegedly have brains that allow us to engage in other pastimes than merely breeding, eating and drinking – like creating great work of architecture and plastic arts, writing fine books involving much thought, making scientific discoveries, and so on.

You can do both but it may take a bit longer than a child free person.

From my own experience, to do both you had to give up certain leisure things that childfree's see as more essential to life perhaps?

I had my 1st @ 24 and vowed that when the free time (that I never realisedI had ) came back, I wouldn't waste it.
Women I know who had kids later on (say late 30's) went into 'Babyshock' at all the time motherhood consumes. I have a friend in that situation now. For various reasons, she didn't finish her Phd (just got to conclusion stage) and baby has come along. It has thrown her.
She now won't finish it for a long time I guess.

I wouldn't say it to her, but her pre baby time wasn't all spent on full on work...yes, she worked hard and, in her view, filled up all her time usefully, but I saw the ammount of free time' (the free time she didn't realise she had ) that she spent on leisure things.

It's just a compromise and also, depends on how much energy and stamina one has too....different for everybody.

Andrew_McP

Sapphire wrote: »

If you believe that procreation is your main reason for existence, then of course you will try to use any excuse you can to deny this fact.

This discussion has gone a little beyond the original point, but the question I always return to (as a childless man) is... what is our purpose in life, if not to continue the unbroken genetic chain linking each of us back to the dawn of life on this planet? Did countless generations of ancestors -- from human back to amoeboid sludge dwellers -- all manage to live long enough to reproduce just so we can live 'fulfilled lives' or watch Eastenders?

Ok, we can contribute more to society than just our genes. But how many of us will be remembered in any way, shape or form? After a few short generations that's pretty much none of us. Our genes are our only real legacy to the world... a unique cocktail of evolutionary 'memory' and potential.

Some might argue I think too much. They are probably right. :-)

Andrew McP

PS To stay on topic, I'm in favour of paid maternity leave, but I struggle with finding a balance between the needs of employers and parents. On balance it's probably another example of how we're killing our global competitiveness with very well intentioned kindness.

LilacPixie

If a couple are adopting a child are they still entitled to maternity leave?? If so who is, female or male or both?? what is it is a same sex couple??

LilacPixie

LilacPixie wrote: »

If a couple are adopting a child are they still entitled to maternity leave?? If so who is, female or male or both?? what is it is a same sex couple??

AA its Ok I found it. They get adoption leave 39 weeks as well.

ninky_2

LilacPixie wrote: »

AA its Ok I found it. They get adoption leave 39 weeks as well.

Doesn't answer the whole question. What if it is a same sex (esp male) couple. If male parents of adopted children are entitled to 39 weeks leave, whey shouldn't male parents of other children have the same option?

ninky_2

What is the current situation if the mother dies during or within the maternitiy period after birth. Is the father then entitled to paid leave? If not, why not?