Author says women without kids should get maternity leave

One high-profile author has come under fire after arguing in favour of paid leave for employees who don’t have kids

A high-profile author has come under fire this week for arguing in favour of paid leave specifically for employees without any children.

Meghann Foye is the author of Meternity – a novel about a woman who fakes a pregnancy to take some much-needed time off – but while premise may seem far-fetched at best, Foye has actually told the media that her main protagonist has a point.

“The more I thought about it, the more I came to believe in the value of a ‘meternity’ leave,” she told the New York Post.

“To me, [it’s] a sabbatical-like break that allows women and, to a lesser degree, men to shift their focus to the part of their lives that doesn’t revolve around their jobs,’ she explained.

The 38-year-old went on to claim that women who go on maternity leave have the chance to let their personal lives “take centre stage” – an “opportunity” she admitted made her jealous.

“It seemed that parenthood was the only path that provided a modicum of flexibility," she argued, adding that women without children miss out on this “socially mandated time and space for self-reflection.”

She also argued that taking time off – whether for meternity or maternity – could actually lead to women developing more skills.

“Bottom line: Women are bad at putting ourselves first,” she said. “But when you have a child, you learn how to self-advocate, to put the needs of your family first. A well-crafted ‘meternity’ can give you the same skills – and taking one shouldn’t disqualify you from taking maternity leave later.”

Unsurprisingly, Foye’s comments have caused a major backlash across multiple media channels – one UK interviewer acknowledged the importance of work-life balance for all employees but slammed the wording as careless.

“The problem is you’ve compared [time off for non-parents] to the same as maternity leave – you’ve put those two things in the same thing and that’s quite dangerous,” she told Foye.

“It’s a dangerous word to use,” she added. “I think it’s a slightly irresponsible thing to do.”

Twitter users were also quick to condemn the proposal with many attempting to enlighten Foye on what maternity leave was really like.
 

@megfoye I don't think you understand what happens on maternity/paternity leave. There's no "me" time involved. Even less so for moms.

— John (@JohnsDeepTweets) April 28, 2016

.@megfoye @nypost I know exactly zero women doing "self-reflection" on maternity leave. We're too exhausted to even take a shower.

— Lauren Jacobs (@laurenrjacobs) April 29, 2016

.@megfoye @nypost I know exactly zero women doing "self-reflection" on maternity leave. We're too exhausted to even take a shower.

— Lauren Jacobs (@laurenrjacobs) April 29, 2016

Related stories:

 

Recent articles & video

Hong Kong's average wage rate up by 3.8% in December 2023

Which countries hired the most expats in 2023?

4 in 5 employers redesigning workspace with return to office: survey

What are Singapore employers planning for salary increases in 2024?

Most Read Articles

More than half of Singapore's workers struggle with trust in workplace relationships

What are Singapore employers planning for salary increases in 2024?

Discretionary bonuses not always 'discretionary'