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ArcaMax Publishing > Lifestyles > Women

Survey: Childless want maternity leave

LONDON (UPI) -- A survey of British women found 74 percent of those polled would be in favor of allowing working women without children to take a leave of absence.

The survey of 2,000 women, conducted by Red magazine, found 74 percent of respondents spoke in favor of allowing childless women to take a six-month or more break from work in the same way new mothers are given maternity leave, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"I think a lot of women who have worked for their employer for 10, or 15 years look around at their colleagues taking maternity leave and feel some element of envy and think, 'What would I do with that time away from the workplace?'" said Sam Baker, editor-in-chief of Red magazine. "This isn't a working mum versus working non-mums argument. Nobody thinks maternity leave is a holiday. Employers, especially now, need to incentivise their staff in imaginative ways and that could involve offering leave. Some companies are already doing this."

However, some business groups said it would be difficult for companies to even offer unpaid leave in the current economy.

"This is a nonsensical idea in the best of times. But in the deepest post-war recession, granting rights to women without children would be foolish, said Corin Taylor, senior policy adviser at the Institute of Directors.



Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/16/2009

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