What price maternity rights?

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e. Anne / ynne BA 8-0s=:0s d.. .it, a itic THE last Labour government's Employment Protection Act contained provisions for maternity rights which many saw as a small step. forward for sexual equality.

Women who stop work to have a baby now have a statutory right to return to their old job provided that they have worked in that job for two years and that they inform their employer in writing that they intend to return to work after taking maternity leave.

The Tories have curtailed these rights, mainly by exempting small firms. They claimed the reason was that it was too expensive for small firms to operate, but it is clear that the Tories' real objection was that the law now sanctions the idea that women with young children can and should keep their jobs.

The Patrick Jenkins of this world would rather see women tied to hearth and home for as long as their children are growing up, or preferably for ever.

A study published by New Society examines the working of the maternity leave provisions, and concludes that the law has more symbolic than practical value: it does indeed sanction the idea that mothers should be able to keep their jobs; but it doesn't make it much easier for them to do so.

Problems

The study found that the problem of just getting your old job back was overshadowed by a host of other problems. Many women will not want to be employed under the same conditions as before - in particthereidson 100** biggest problem of co urse is childcare, and espec ially the restricted hours that don't fit in with doing a fulltime job.

New Society found that four out of five women who return to work do so on different terms, mostly shorter hours.

In response to being asked what measures would help them and others like them, very few mentioned formal maternity rights and most concentrated on the need for better childcare facilities and flexible working hours.

It's very clear that this measure of the Labour government was women's rights on the cheap. Like the Sex Discrimination Act it cost them nothing and didn't even annoy the CBI. And for women, neither measure has been a lot of practical use.

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