Equality - Maternity leave is vital for society

The annual report of the Equality Authority indicated that 57% of all inquiries to the Public Information Centre in 2006 related to issues surrounding maternity leave and adoptive leave legislation.

This has both positive and negative implications.

On the one hand, it is an indication that more people are aware of their rights and are prepared to stand up for those rights, but at the same time it is sad that maternity leave is still a big problem in the workplace. Parents are being let down by limitations in having to struggle for the proper implementation of equality law.