I find the notion of attaching ‘children to a job’ very strange! For years it was a negative and derogatory reflection of somebody – particularly if they had the nerve to take time out for Maternity leave and come back. How could a woman sustain the same enthusiasm/commitment to her job if she had children outside of it? Disappearing off on ‘extended’ Maternity leave was always a problem too. I personally had one of these appraisal reports Vanessa has been talking about written about the subject of - my Maternity leave! The Manager who wrote it had received no training on writing a fair annual report and had not even asked me anything about what I had done whilst on leave (quite a lot, other than growing a baby, actually!). He had a huge personal stumbling block over the fact I had been away, so every section detailed my being away on leave or attaching the words extended and Maternity leave together! Blow writing the report on the job done for the period he was writing it, I had to be ‘told off’ for the bit I wasn’t there! I actually ‘came back’ several months earlier than I could have (not that that is at all relevant!). I think I read a ‘quote’ from Ruth Lea, Director of Policy, The Institute of Directors (from memory so this may be wrong or out of context) saying that having a child was a woman’s choice – well bad choice girls?To go from this to it being a ‘qualification’ for winning a job is even worse! I haven’t seen anything about any other reasons for giving her the job (which is a real shame and does not help her one jot), so forgive me if I am wrong. I was under the impression that the writing of a job specification was very important in order to balance this ‘fair’ chance for all? So having a baby would line her up for the chance of winning this job? So does she then start forming a queue where she ends up with the most children and is therefore the leading contender? Think of all those stories of women with 15+ children? Think of the future cabinet meetings with all these ‘new’ women attending with their kiddie winks in the outside office and toys strewn all over the floor – oh and the potential sponsorship from Children’s toy manufac… but I digress, and I am sure you can see your own picture, sorry. Ah, ha…what did somebody say? But there is only one place for such a woman in the cabinet? Oh, surely you mean there is only one place for such a woman ON the cabinet?What about people who can’t have children? What about people such as the ones Ruth Lea mentions, who decide their choice is not to have children? What about Men? How many points would a Grandchild count for? What about fostering? And if I loan Vanessa my children what job could she apply for with 5 teenagers in tow?
Sarah Felstead ● 7430d