IT is rare a government announcement elicits equal enthusiasm from the TUC and the CBI but that was the pleasing symmetry that greeted the Coalition's proposed extensions to flexible parental leave and rights to request flexible working.
IT is rare a government announcement elicits equal enthusiasm from the TUC and the CBI but that was the pleasing symmetry that greeted the Coalition's proposed extensions to flexible parental leave and rights to request flexible working.
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This begs the question of why it has taken so long to abandon rigid working practices that have both held back business and blunted the career ambitions of millions of women.
Nowhere in the developed world is there a bigger gap between maternity and paternity leave entitlements. Current maternity leave means couples who have hitherto taken equal shares of domestic responsibilities are driven back to the stereotypes of the 1950s in which invariably the male was the breadwinner and the woman the carer. That imbalance is largely responsible for a situation where the combination of women working fewer hours than they would like and men working very long hours is more pronounced in the UK than any other OECD country, according to the Resolution Foundation.
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Making progress on parental leave
IT is rare a government announcement elicits equal enthusiasm from the TUC and the CBI but that was the pleasing symmetry that greeted the Coalition's proposed extensions to flexible parental leave and rights to request flexible working.
This begs the question of why it has taken so long to abandon rigid working practices that have both held back business and blunted the career ambitions of millions of women.
Nowhere in the developed world is there a bigger gap between maternity and paternity leave entitlements. Current maternity leave means couples who have hitherto taken equal shares of domestic responsibilities are driven back to the stereotypes of the 1950s in which invariably the male was the breadwinner and the woman the carer. That imbalance is largely responsible for a situation where the combination of women working fewer hours than they would like and men working very long hours is more pronounced in the UK than any other OECD country, according to the Resolution Foundation.
Commenting & Moderation
We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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