Nadia van de Walle’s Post

After a friend of mine recently had to look into her work benefits on Maternity leave, it made me realise this is a big issue with many employers. However, Stowe Family Law LLP have your wellbeing at the forefront and in this article, Charlie Elsworth gives her insight. As a woman in law, I believe it can be a difficult conversation to have with your supervisor, but I am hopeful that many other employers will be making their staffs wellbeing their priority. If you have a spare min, grab a cuppa and have a read. #maternityleave #workbenefits #stowefamilylaw

I wrote an article for Grazia about how language in maternity services is often not fit for purpose. You can read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eCnKMbep

In my article I explore another maternity investigation and the repeat issues it raises. https://lnkd.in/eMWmJAYV

🌍 While 41 countries in Asia & the Pacific offer maternity leave, many mothers still lack benefits. On Global #ParentsDay, let's recognize that maternity protection is a human right. Universal maternity benefits can lift families out of poverty, discover how in our blog: https://buff.ly/4dYLEdy

In the UK, the journey into motherhood is a beautiful chapter, but it's often accompanied by challenges – especially when it comes to maternity pay. It's time to raise our voices and address these issues to create a brighter future for all mothers. Did you know that the UK's maternity pay is lower than many other countries in Europe? Many mothers find themselves facing financial uncertainty during a time that should be filled with joy and bonding. It's a topic that calls for attention and action. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/ecgdwndg

Yes, let’s talk about lack of maternity leave for most teachers in America. But let’s also talk about the fact that there’s basically just no maternity leave for mothers in America, period. Let’s not kid ourselves that two weeks, four weeks, six weeks is anywhere near enough time for parents to have as an option to be with their new child, and there are solid social, emotional and economic justifications for change. First we need to shift attitudes to maternity leave, and then business and government (both federal and state) need to find ways to enact meaningful policy change.

Talk about cruel and unusual: in the past two years, New York has revoked paid leave out of the hands of at least 1,200 mothers only days after birthing and burying a child.   We’ve been leading a battalion of concerned stillbirth parents and allies fighting to rectify this dangerous gap in New York’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) law since May 2022. But another legislative session is set to close in days, and still nothing has been done.   Imagine counting down to the due date of a healthy pregnancy, only to learn your full-term baby has died - and you still have to give birth. As two mothers who have experienced this firsthand, we can tell you it’s a torment we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemies. And yet an average of 1,400 NY families have suffered the same for each of the past five years.   NY’s blatant cruelty to these families has been shameless. Imagine returning home to a fully decorated nursery only to plan a funeral, still bleeding, leaking milk from engorged breasts which don’t realize there is no baby to feed, and getting this call from NY State: “Since you don’t have a baby to bond with, you no longer qualify for $1,100/week of Paid Family Leave. But don’t worry, instead you can take Temporary Disability at $170/week. And your husband, who did not give birth, still qualifies for his PFL to care for you postpartum.” Continue reading on Medium... (co-authored with PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy advocate Cassidy Crough)

The best retention strategy is paying people what they’re worth and letting them live their own unique lives. Truly, this is not extraordinary flexibility. It’s not a heroic lifting-up, it’s not “special rights” or favoritism for woman employees. It’s actually far simpler — it’s treating an employee’s career as her career, and her life as her life. She’s being promoted because she deserves a promotion, and her maternity leave isn’t a factor in that. She’s entitled to maternity leave because she’s going to have a baby, and — despite what a lot of people seem to think — that isn’t actually directly job-related! “What if she quits?” I hear some voices saying. “A lot of new moms quit.” That’s her choice, and she could do that at any time, whether her new job is motherhood or simply advancement elsewhere. Do you want her talent on your team? Make it worth her while, and to heck with trying to guess whether she’s going to choose her baby over your employment. If you stop trying to play 3-D chess with your employees’ motives and figuring out exactly which pizza party or ping pong table will fix everything, you might find that it’s way easier to find and keep great talent than you ever thought possible. I’m glad at least some people are starting to figure that out.

Everyone is entitled to leave days and maternity leave, as these rights are fundamental aspects of human dignity, equality, and well-being. It is the responsibility of businesses to ensure that their policies respect and promote these rights. #Business and Human Rights#

⚠ Breaches of human rights when accessing maternity care have disproportionately negative and trauma-inducing outcomes for women & birthing people from marginalized communities. 👁️🗨️ Whether you are a healthcare professional, birthworker or peer supporter, empower yourself and your team by enquiring about or booking a Birthrights training: bit.ly/birthtrainingreq . 🤰🏾At a time when maternity services across the UK face increased pressure from stretched resources, understanding how human rights law applies to maternity care can empower you to feel confident in identifying actions to address human rights breaches and how to support pregnant & birthing people under your care to advocate for themselves. #maternitycare #birthrights #HCPs #birthworker #maternityrights #birthjustice #training #reproductivejustice #humanrights