Hannah Michie explores how the politics of parental leave affects working parents
In March 2024 Scottish First Minister (SFM) Humza Yousaf announced that he and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, were expecting a baby in July. Yousaf also announced that he would take two weeks of allocated paternity leave to support his wife and children following the baby’s arrival. Yousaf will be the first SFM to welcome a child in office, which seems to have stirred questions surrounding the practicality of juggling a career in politics and maintaining a happy, healthy home life.
The often-cited example of this domestic and professional success is former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who welcomed her daughter in June 2018, becoming only the second head of government globally to give birth in office. After just six weeks of maternity leave, Ardern returned to work and even brought her infant daughter to the 2018 United Nations General Assembly that September. The world looked towards Ardern as the pinnacle of juggling parenthood and a career, all while she quashed dozens of assumptions about working parents – especially working mothers. However, it is important to note that Ardern herself struggled with balancing parenthood with her career, and had a considerable amount of help that is not always available to other working parents, as her partner was able to remain a stay-at-home parent.
It is reasonable to assume that as a fellow head of government (with a healthy salary, family support, and considerable power), and as the non-birthing partner in this scenario, Yousaf will receive privileges similar to those afforded to Ardern once his child is born. Some challenges facing lower-ranked working parents in politics – and indeed every industry sector – are more extensive.
Maternity leave can be hard, mainly for mothers. ComRes (now Savanta ComRes) – a data, market research, and advisor company – have researched the subject on behalf of the BBC. For their survey, researchers spoke to more than 1,000 women who had had maternity leave in the past 10 years. The results speak for themselves: 27% of the women did not enjoy maternity leave as much as they thought they would, with 47% stating that they felt lonely. Likewise, returning to work and re-adapting to a working schedule while juggling new responsibilities can be just as challenging.
The key seems to be remote hybrid working. This is perhaps the only positive outcome the global labour market has experienced following the COVID-19 pandemic – we know that flexibility is possible and, in some cases, more effective. Why exclude workers because they may be struggling with parental responsibilities when arrangements such as remote working, adjusted hours, and compassionate, understanding flexibility can allow parents to return to the workplace almost uninterrupted? Considering the number of high-position politicians who experience extreme burnout as a result of the months and years of service they undertake, perhaps some of these allocations should be considered even beyond the context of paternity leave.
The capstone of flexible environments for parents appears to be the one provided by the Canadian government’s policies and allowances. Working parents-to-be in Canada are given financial allowances in exchange for an agreed number of weeks of parental leave, which has shown positive results in encouraging return, easing the transition back into the workplace. Supporting partners in Canada are also entitled to up to five weeks total of “daddy days” to develop a healthier balance in childcare labour and allow a more flexible approach to parenthood.
The short answer is nothing is impossible. Parenthood is hard enough without the added burden of uncooperative employers and a system that fights against working parents. Perhaps welcoming their child in the summer will give SFM Yousaf the perfect opportunity to reflect on Scotland’s policy systems and how effective they are in keeping working parents engaged in the workforce.
Baby steps: the politics of parental leave
Hannah Michie explores how the politics of parental leave affects working parents
In March 2024 Scottish First Minister (SFM) Humza Yousaf announced that he and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, were expecting a baby in July. Yousaf also announced that he would take two weeks of allocated paternity leave to support his wife and children following the baby’s arrival. Yousaf will be the first SFM to welcome a child in office, which seems to have stirred questions surrounding the practicality of juggling a career in politics and maintaining a happy, healthy home life.
The often-cited example of this domestic and professional success is former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who welcomed her daughter in June 2018, becoming only the second head of government globally to give birth in office. After just six weeks of maternity leave, Ardern returned to work and even brought her infant daughter to the 2018 United Nations General Assembly that September. The world looked towards Ardern as the pinnacle of juggling parenthood and a career, all while she quashed dozens of assumptions about working parents – especially working mothers. However, it is important to note that Ardern herself struggled with balancing parenthood with her career, and had a considerable amount of help that is not always available to other working parents, as her partner was able to remain a stay-at-home parent.
It is reasonable to assume that as a fellow head of government (with a healthy salary, family support, and considerable power), and as the non-birthing partner in this scenario, Yousaf will receive privileges similar to those afforded to Ardern once his child is born. Some challenges facing lower-ranked working parents in politics – and indeed every industry sector – are more extensive.
Maternity leave can be hard, mainly for mothers. ComRes (now Savanta ComRes) – a data, market research, and advisor company – have researched the subject on behalf of the BBC. For their survey, researchers spoke to more than 1,000 women who had had maternity leave in the past 10 years. The results speak for themselves: 27% of the women did not enjoy maternity leave as much as they thought they would, with 47% stating that they felt lonely. Likewise, returning to work and re-adapting to a working schedule while juggling new responsibilities can be just as challenging.
The key seems to be remote hybrid working. This is perhaps the only positive outcome the global labour market has experienced following the COVID-19 pandemic – we know that flexibility is possible and, in some cases, more effective. Why exclude workers because they may be struggling with parental responsibilities when arrangements such as remote working, adjusted hours, and compassionate, understanding flexibility can allow parents to return to the workplace almost uninterrupted? Considering the number of high-position politicians who experience extreme burnout as a result of the months and years of service they undertake, perhaps some of these allocations should be considered even beyond the context of paternity leave.
The capstone of flexible environments for parents appears to be the one provided by the Canadian government’s policies and allowances. Working parents-to-be in Canada are given financial allowances in exchange for an agreed number of weeks of parental leave, which has shown positive results in encouraging return, easing the transition back into the workplace. Supporting partners in Canada are also entitled to up to five weeks total of “daddy days” to develop a healthier balance in childcare labour and allow a more flexible approach to parenthood.
The short answer is nothing is impossible. Parenthood is hard enough without the added burden of uncooperative employers and a system that fights against working parents. Perhaps welcoming their child in the summer will give SFM Yousaf the perfect opportunity to reflect on Scotland’s policy systems and how effective they are in keeping working parents engaged in the workforce.
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