French government official has baby, returns to work 5 days later
January 28, 2009
French Justice Minister Rachida Dati back on the job in less than a week, sparking controversy
When Justice Minister Rachida Dati gave birth last week in France, there was no outcry (though there was rampant speculation as to the identity of the father, which she has kept secret) over the fact that she is a single, unwed mother. President Sarkozy himself congratulated her. No, what some consider a scandal is her reporting for work five days after the birth.
In France, where the social safety net is tightly woven, generous maternity leave has long been a hallmark of the system. Women in France are guaranteed 16 weeks of paid maternity leave after childbirth, and most take at least half. Beyond the money, the new mother’s job is guaranteed to still be waiting for her four months later.
Of course, no government can legislate the non-passage of time or insist that a woman on maternity leave remain “in the loop” at her employer. Life goes on, with or without an employee who has just had a baby. That seems to factor into Dati’s decision to return to work so soon. She is heavily involved in important pending legislation and wants to remain so. Also, French labor codes that give the 16 weeks’ leave do not apply to government ministers like Dati, though she could certainly have taken more than five days.
Some womens’ groups were quick to condemn Dati for “raising the bar” and setting an unfair example for other women. The groups worry that public figures like Dati spurning maternity leave will put pressure on other women in France to do likewise, or risk being marked as weak or unambitious. One female activist compared Dati’s decision to conditions in the 1920s, when women gave birth in factories and were back on the assembly line as soon as their legs would hold them up. Women’s groups in France fear that with examples like Dati’s more and more women will be tempted to give up their rights.
Of course, the unspoken truth on everyone’s mind is that French maternity leave has long been considered excessive and overgenerous by many, either envious mothers in other countries or grumbling employers in France forced to hire interim workers to take on new mothers’ jobs and then to reintegrate their employees when the mothers come back to work. Some consider the 16-week paid leave just one more example of French workers’ sense of entitlement and a vestige of a time before France really became part of the new global economy. So it’s not a stretch that employers might put subtle pressure on women to return to work sooner. Legally they can’t make any threats, but it would be simple to inply that mothers who are gone too long might miss out on important happenings at the company and that their careers might suffer as a result.
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