Review

Maternity and women at work

WOMEN, WORK AND MATERNITY: THE INSIDE STORY
O’Grady F and Wakefield H
Maternity Alliance, £2.50

As many of us have suspected, the world of waged employment continues to be a man’s world. Of course women can and do take part in this world — but only on condition that their personal responsibilities do not impinge on their working lives. The structure of waged work has remained largely untouched by the fact that a significant — and growing — proportion of he workforce may become pregnant and may wish to return to work after the birth of their child.

Women Work and Maternity: the inside story highlights the inadequacies of current maternity care and childcare provision and clearly demonstrates that failure to accommodate the needs of pregnant workers and working mothers indirectly discriminates against women’s participation in the world of waged work. The book itself is a result of a survey of more than 200 women who became pregnant while in work, took maternity leave and subsequently returned to their jobs. Using both careful analysis and the comments of respondents about their experiences — good and bad — they have drawn a clear picture of the isolation and vulnerability many women face in this situation.

The authors start from the premise that good maternity provision should be regarded as a right of all women workers — irrespective of status, length of service or hours worked and that maternity leave and motherhood should not stand in the way of promotional prospects or other benefits. They look at ways of improving maternity entitlement, making useful recommendations and including examples of positive clauses from existing maternity agreements. Many of their comments are directed specifically at trade unionists and the need to secure good workplace agreements for women workers. Yet they are clear that this should not be seen as simply a ‘womens issue’, but in the context of improving rights of all workers. For example, they raise the issue of hazardous work environments, but are quick to point out that often these represent a threat to all workers, and not just to pregnant women. The answer, therefore, is to remove the risk, not the woman.

Britain lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of statutory maternity provision and there is clearly wide scope for improvement. Yet, as this report shows, even the best formal agreements are inadequate without a change in attitudes.

The experience of many of the women would suggest that too often pregnant workers are seen as an ‘organisational inconvenience’ and working mothers as neither ‘good mothers’ nor ‘good workers’.

As the number of school leavers entering the workforce falls, employers are turning to women to fill the gaps. It is perhaps more vital than ever, therefore, that collective agreements to improve women’s pay and working conditions, including maternity entitlement and childcare, are secured to enable women to participate on their own terms.

It is about time that women’s contribution to the world of waged work is recognised and work organised in such a way as to meet their needs. This book is a good starting point.