Women 'may be hindered by maternity leave extension'

Rather than helping women, extensions to maternity leave may in fact hinder them, according to an expert from the London School of Economics.

In an article for Prospect magazine, Dr Catherine Hakim suggested that enhancing leave may lead to a backlash from employers.

She claimed that firms could be discouraged from hiring and promoting female candidates, putting them at a disadvantage compared with their male counterparts.

Managers may find it difficult and costly to replace women who go on maternity leave for long periods of time, Dr Hakim noted.

She remarked: "Several studies by Swedish economists have shown that family-friendly employment policies have been the cause of the glass ceiling for women, not the solution to it."

Last month, Sally Gimson, the director of communications at the Family and Parenting Institute, suggested that working fathers who want to take time off to look after their children should not be subject to discrimination.
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27/11/2009 16:33

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