I had to work late tonight...and on my way home at around 7.30pm I started thinking about how hard it is to be a working mom in this country.
I read posts / articles from other moms in other countries and it really seems that SA is leagues behind the rest of the world as far as caring for the mothers of our countries future.
One good example is that of flexi time hours. There are a few forward thinking companies (I think those with ties overseas) that allow mothers to work from home. In most cases most of us could, I could most definitely. It is however very difficult to change people mind sets that work can only be done from an office.
Then there is the whole breastfeeding thing. I had tremendous problems when I went back to work as I wanted to express milk for my baby, and although the Code of Good Practice states that a working mother should have two ADDITIONAL half hour breaks to express milk for their baby..the problem with this is yes, its great in theory but its NOT law, hence companies need not comply. I am, however, still persevering and using my lunch 1/2 hour to express milk for my baby and then express again at home.
Time off is also an issue for most of us. Some lucky enough have really understanding bosses when you call in frazzled with a sick child at home. Others..not so much.
If I knew where to start I would start a movement that puts the Code of Good Practise into the law books as well as having the Labour act revised to be better suited to working moms.
Imagine!
1 comment:
I agree, but some may argue that as women we wanted to be treated as equals to men and therefore we should not ask for "different rules". My answer to that is that even though we may have husbands or a significant other, we are still single parents a lot of the time because our partners may need to work longer hours than us or do shift work. Hats off to all parents these days. It is definitely not easy.
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