Let new dads hold their own with equal time off
TV star Claire says splitting parental leave would close pay divide
Claire with Alison Comyn and Jenny Buckley finally being offered to men in Ireland but we’ve a long way to go as the statistics out this week show.
“If maternity and paternity leave could be split between parents as they wish over a year, say, like you see in Scandinavian countries and places like Canada, it would bring more equality to the situation I think generally.
“It would also allay concerns that taking time out to have children will affect a woman’s career and promotion opportunities which just shouldn’t be the case.
“I think there needs to be a whole cultural change around that.”
The mum of two is currently on maternity leave and feels having that children and taking time off work has an impact on the pay disparity between men and women.
She added: “There is a sense that a woman goes off on maternity leave or she’s off having kids and maybe does feed into the gender pay scales.
“But I think it’s really good we’re having this conversation now and not tip-toeing around it.
“The publishing their salary scales reflects what is not just a reality in the media industry but everywhere. “The conversation around the gender pay gap is long overdue – not just in the media industry but society-wide. Many barriers for women remain and I think there needs to be a cultural shift to shut down the gap.
“In the media especially – being in the spotlight – the industry should be setting the standard when it comes to equality around earnings.”
Having worked in TV and radio for over a decade Claire admits the pay issue is a grey area. She said: “You really don’t know what the person next to you is earning most of the time.
“But it definitely isn’t one person earns one thing and the other earns the same for doing the same job, it doesn’t work like that.
“But there are questions around opportunity and what opportunities there are for women and women who go on maternity leave.”
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The important conversation around the gender pay gap is long overdue CLAIRE BROCK SUPPORTS A REVIEW OF PAY DISPARITY