Feminism is absolutely needed in today’s world. It is unbelievable what they Feminist movement has achieved in the past few decades and it is very important for people to be open-minded with respect to women’s rights. Some of the greatest leaders in the world have been women, but unfortunately I think some people do hesitate before hiring a young woman.
I can guarantee that the thought of maternity leave does effect a person’s decision to hire young women. From my experience of dealing with CEOs and senior management of companies in meetings, I have been surprised to see that quite a few of them had that view, even though they may not have expressed it. But many do take that into account the fact that woman will be missing from work due to maternity leaves and they do get upset when they have hired a woman who is doing well at work but then decides to get married. In one way they are happy for her, but on the other hand there is a certain percentage of people who are upset that they are losing a good worker.
A law for equal paternity and maternity leave will make a difference. In the field that I worked in, I have seen very strong women who are capable of dealing with pressure and are excellent leaders. If I have hired someone I have to give her maternity leave if she does have a child – this is part of the life cycle. I have to take all these things into account. I would impose equal paternity and maternity leave in my company.
— The reader is a CEO of an event management company in Abu Dhabi
