In New Zealand there will be International Women s Day rallies on March 8. This year these rallies are calling for paid parental leave, but the Labour Ministers in the Government are stalling. Clark has said she won t support the Alliance proposal of 12 weeks paid leave funded from a small levy on employers. Labour s position is very backward as there are already 120 countries which have paid parental leave. For too long women have carried the greatest responsibility in child rearing and suffered economically.
Few families can survive on one income so having a child can mean real hardship.
The time to change this is well overdue. Paid parental leave is affordable and should be a right, just as annual leave and sick leave are. Join the rallies on March 8th and show Clark and her Ministers that their stalling is not acceptable. Liz Gordon Alliance MP, Jane Kelsey policy analyst and author, Darien Fenton Council of Trade Unions, Barbara Glenie National Council of Women.