Congratulations to our Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee!!

UDAWINNER

Really shows how difficult it is for some women to get in to these positions should they want children. It's been a mans world for way too long in some countries

cruizer101

UDAWINNER wrote: »

Its hard to believe thats it has taken until 2021 for this to be an Issue in Ireland. Really shows how backward we are in Ireland that a women has not been in this position ages ago.

Does it really?
I'm pretty sure there have been previous TD's pregnant.
When you think about it a Minister is a senior position, particularly one as important as Justice, think senior management. So it makes sense that it would generally be older people who are made ministers as have more experience.

If you think the normal politics career would be finish college 22, become a councillor for a few years, say up to 26, become a TD backbencher for a bit maybe a term or 2, so now in you 30's, get a junior ministerial position and then maybe if lucky get a ministerial position you are probably looking at close to 40.

Combine that with the fact the women used to have children earlier in life on average it really isn't that surprising that this is the first time a minister has had to take maternity leave.

Not saying more shouldn't be done to make it easier but I don' think it is necessarily a bad reflection that it hasn't happened before.

Mysterypunter

Good luck to the girl, I hope it all goes well for her and her child, can't see what the problem is with maternity leave, it's part of an employment contract in every job, and if she is able, she will come back in due course, it's not as if she is resigning because of some sort of political scandal, people never reduce these things to a personal level, every situation is an opportunity for points scoring politically. I don't know if we need more women in politics, I think the answer would involve less people in politics, there are way too many as it is, there should be no issue with any female taking time off to start a family, and she is in a privileged position to be able to, what about people who cannot, due to financial circumstances and other reasons.

Eric Cartman

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

If, by some cosmic anomaly, humanity awoke tomorrow and it was men who got pregnant then, within months, there'd the great universal paternity leave, vending machines with the morning after pill, abortion on demand, creches in most pubs and so on.

The usual impossible hypothetical, pre disposes that all these things haven't happened because its just men oppressing women for the craic.

Most opposition to abortion or the morning after pill is from other women.

On the minister taking time off - 6 months is too much , especially as her job isn't manual labour, a month, 2 tops should suffice.

CtevenSrowder

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

If, by some cosmic anomaly, humanity awoke tomorrow and it was men who got pregnant then, within months, there'd the great universal paternity leave, vending machines with the morning after pill, abortion on demand, creches in most pubs and so on.

If men could get pregnant then they'd be women, and not men.

Montage of Feck

I don't get the fuss, ministers take time off all the time for personal reasons and presumably they still get payed never mind all the other perks.

Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman wrote: »

On the minister taking time off - 6 months is too much , especially as her job isn't manual labour, a month, 2 tops should suffice.

So is it just female politicians that should get less maternity leave them all other mothers?

AMKC

CtevenSrowder wrote: »

If men could get pregnant then they'd be women, and not men.

Not necesseraly. They could be Asexual. There could be Alien races out in the Universe for all we know that are the complete opposite to ours maybe some where they are all Asexual and others where the Female of the Species rules and is stronger than the male anc maybe the male does get pregnant. There is even animals now on our very planet some that are Asexual and some where the role of the Sexs is opposite to how it is with us humans. A seahorse I think is one example.

CtevenSrowder

AMKC wrote: »

Not necesseraly. They could be Asexual. There could be Alien races out in the Universe for all we know that are the complete opposite to ours maybe some where they are all Asexual and others where the Female of the Species rules and is stronger than the male anc maybe the male does get pregnant. There is even animals now on our very planet some that are Asexual and some where the role of the Sexs is opposite to how it is with us humans. A seahorse I think is one example.

That's all great. But we're talking about humans and human societies here, in case you haven't realised.

vriesmays

CtevenSrowder wrote: »

If men could get pregnant then they'd be women, and not men.

Didn't know JK Rowling is on Boards.

Eric Cartman

bubblypop wrote: »

So is it just female politicians that should get less maternity leave them all other mothers?

politicians are there to represent their constituents, I think any job you are elected to do in such an ever changing space as politics has to be treated differently to a normal job. taking 6 months off is insane.

vriesmays

It's only right our male Ministers get 6 months paternity leave when their partners get pregnant. Only fair, equality and that.

Hotblack Desiato

Eric Cartman wrote: »

On the minister taking time off - 6 months is too much , especially as her job isn't manual labour, a month, 2 tops should suffice.

:rolleyes: it's not just for her to recover from the pregnancy, it's for the welfare of her child ffs.

Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman wrote: »

politicians are there to represent their constituents, I think any job you are elected to do in such an ever changing space as politics has to be treated differently to a normal job. taking 6 months off is insane.

What about any other job?
Why should women get 6 months away from their positions?
Or do you believe that the Minister is actually running the department? What do you suppose all the civil servants do?

MrMusician18

vriesmays wrote: »

It's only right our male Ministers get 6 months paternity leave when their partners get pregnant. Only fair, equality and that.

I've long believed that maternity leave should be shared. Why can't the couple divide up the leave how they see fit?

If men were took substantial periods of leave in their late twenties and thirties, then you might see more equality down the line when it comes to promotion and senior positions.

secondrowgal

Eric Cartman wrote: »

The usual impossible hypothetical, pre disposes that all these things haven't happened because its just men oppressing women for the craic.

Most opposition to abortion or the morning after pill is from other women.

On the minister taking time off - 6 months is too much , especially as her job isn't manual labour, a month, 2 tops should suffice.

I've never seen or heard of this before - do you have a link?

And she's entitled to the same maternity leave as anyone else, which is 6 months.