Pregnant women REALLY can’t win says Exeter Uni scientists
- Mothers who took time off to care for babies were seen as less committed
- While those who continued working were viewed as less caring parents
- The controversial findings suggest that women are ‘damned’ either way
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Pregnant women really can’t win. They are judged negatively whether they take maternity leave or not, a new study suggests.
Research into workers’ attitudes found mothers who took time off to care for babies were seen as less committed and competent at work.
While those who continued working were viewed as less caring parents, Exeter University scientists discovered.
The controversial findings suggest that women are ‘damned’ either way, according to lead author Dr Thekla Morgenroth.
Research into workers’ attitudes found mothers who took time off to care for babies were seen as less committed and competent at work
‘This is a no-win situation for women,’ Dr Morgenroth said.
‘Our results show that perceptions of competence, whether in the work or family domain, were never boosted, but only impaired, by the maternity leave decision.
‘Both decisions had negative consequences, albeit in different domains.
‘It is important to have policies which allow women to balance work and family life, but it’s also important to understand people’s use of these policies may have unintended consequences.’
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How the study was carried out
The study examined the attitudes of 137 women and 157 men who were employed, mostly from the US and the UK.
They were split into three groups and given information about a fictional woman.
The only difference between what they were told was whether the woman had chosen to take maternity leave.
In one version she had taken it, in another she had continued working, and in a third – a control group – the issue was not mentioned.
Participants were then asked to evaluate the woman as a worker and a parent for the study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
What the researchers found
The researchers found negative family results for a woman who kept working, and negative working results for a woman who took maternity leave.
Dr Morgenroth added: ‘These effects occurred regardless of the respondent’s gender, age, parental status or nationality, which suggests these attitudes are universal and pervasive in our culture.’
The majority of participants were working full-time (70 per cent) and had no children (71 per cent). The average age of participants was 33.
DIFFERING MATERNITY PAY ACROSS THE WORLD
New mothers are forced to go back to work early to be able to pay the bills, says the Trade’s Union Congress (TUC).
The UK ranked 22nd out of 24 in a European league table for maternity leave which was published in March. It assessed how the nations provide statutory maternity leave.
Mothers in the UK are entitled to six weeks’ decently-paid maternity leave, compared with six months in Croatia.
Eligible women are usually paid 90 per cent of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, with the remaining 33 weeks at £140.98 or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
Polish, Hungarian and Czech mothers are entitled to more than four months, while those in Estonia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Malta and Switzerland get the equivalent of three months pay.
The only European countries offering less decently-paid maternity leave than the UK are Ireland and Slovakia, said the TUC.
New mothers in the US are entitled to less than three weeks off at an average full wage rate, The Independent previously reported.
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