Maternity rights are a complex part of UK employment

by Rudy Scheinost

The issue of maternity rights is something which divides opinion both in the workplace and at home.

The European Parliament has passed draft legislation to extend the maternity leave across Europe from 14 to 20 weeks, which the Daycare Trust has backed.

Chief executive of the trust, Alison Garnham, said that the UK currently stands out as having one of the longest and lowest paid maternity leave entitlements in Europe.

She said: "We would like to see mothers entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave at 90 per cent pay and fathers entitled to four weeks leave at 90 per cent pay."

But not everyone wants more maternity leave. In fact, Dr Helen Wright recently returned to work only seven hours after giving birth to her daughter.

In the modern world, there is a constant battle between work and life balance, but maybe six months is too long and seven hours far too short.

The UK does need to get in line with the rest of Europe when it comes to maternity. But, ultimately, deciding how long to stay at home for must be down to the parents.