THE LIMITED, SLEEPLESS but ultimately magical time you have with a newborn should not affect you losing your job, right? Well, a case this week dragged the limitations of some of our paternal leave into the limelight.
Adding to the debate surrounding gender in politics, this week a Cork councillor was told that if she took longer than six months maternity leave that she would no longer be allowed to serve on the local authority.
The councillor, Danielle Twomey criticised the act which enforces this rule, calling it “discriminatory towards women” and, “a huge deterrent for young women entering politics.”
At present, women are entitled to 26 weeks’ maternity leave, while men are entitled to two weeks’ paternity leave. In paternity leave in particular, Ireland lags behind countries such Sweden, where parents are entitled to 420 days at 80% of their pay.
So, tell us - do you feel that you had sufficient maternity or paternity leave?
Join our mailing list to be in with the chance of winning a relaxing spa break at The Rose Hotel in Tralee – and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and Twitter too!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say