Maternity leave isn’t all good news for business

The never-ending churn of stories explaining why it is awful to be a woman has a new focus. A survey of workplace ‘decision-makers’ published this week has exposed the shocking news that some employers think maternity leave can be a bit inconvenient. That’s right: some sexist and uncaring bosses do not feel delight when mum-to-be announces her plans but instead worry about the impact on the bottom line. A poll conducted for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revealed that almost 60 per cent of employers think a woman applying for a job should disclose whether she is pregnant. Of the 1,106 male and female ‘decision-makers’ surveyed, 46 per cent think it is reasonable, during a recruitment process, to ask women if they have young children and 36 per cent think they should be able to ask if she plans to start a family. Just under half of those asked think women should be employed by the same company for at least a year before taking maternity leave and about one third believe that women who become pregnant are ‘generally less interested in career progression’.