Remember mothers in parenting policies, Government urged
Catherine Gaunt
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Priority for free childcare should be given to families where both parents are unemployed or where the mother is the lone parent, says the Family and Parenting Institute.
A new report launched at the FPI’s conference on Modern Motherhood in London yesterday (Wednesday) argues that Government policies need to talk about mothers, not just parents.
Fathers should have the right to a ‘Daddy’ month, already in place in some European countries, allowing them to take the main responsibility for childcare in a set month.
Maternity pay should also rise to minimum wage levels.
Chief executive of the FPI Mary MacLeod said, ‘The Government has done a lot to improve things for parents, but we think more could be done by Government and business to help and support mothers.
‘Fatherhood and motherhood are not the same. They bring different demands, so we need to have policies, services and workplaces that cater for the different needs.’
The report, called Listening to mother, found that women spend twice the amount of time caring for children that men do.
The FPI said that splitting parental leave equally between mothers and fathers could help parents to share childcare responsibilities more easily. Mothers and fathers should also have the right to flexible working, not just the right to request it.
