Posted by Ben @ February 2nd, 2010 11:47 pm. Filed under: That's SO UNFAIR! I HATE YOU!, There's Already A Solution But Don't Let That Stop You From Bothering The PM, Won't Somebody Please Think Of The Children? — Tags: Philippa Cunliffe —
by Philippa CunliffeCurrently employed mothers have 39 weeks paid Statutory Maternity Pay, self-employed mothers have the same – 39 weeks paid Maternity allowance. Employed fathers have 2 weeks paid paternity leave but self-employed fathers have no Paternity Allowance. This is very unfair as it means a lot of self-employed fathers cannot afford to spend time bonding with their new baby. Self-employed people pay tax just like employees, as well as often creating jobs, so why are they treated so unfairly?
People who aren’t self-employed are paid by their employers during time off, not by the government. I don’t see how that’s unfair, personally. If it were me I’d spend the nine months of the pregnancy putting money aside so I could afford to take a couple of weeks off, but that’s just me.