Regulación de la concentración y del volumen de orina

which, in their evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee^, noted those of the Civil Service, the Post Office and certain local authorities which made maternity provision for all women employees.

A recent study of seventeen public sector authorities by Incomes Data ■

4

Services , showed that there was, however, considerable variation between the schemes, in the benefits provided, in the eligibility for them and in the amount of detail: some were very precise leaving much to management discretion, while others were very detailed covering a wide range of possi­ bilities such as that of the Civil Service.

1 Women Workers 1972? PP« 10 - 11.

2 The National Council for One—Parent Families. 3 Op.cit. p.

151

In the private sector, Incomes Data examined seventy-four companies and found only eighteen with written policies. Of these, six provided maternity pay for varying lengths of time and entitlement to it ranged from one year to five years of service with the company. Some calculated leave against sick leave entitlement and all had some 'discretionary* elements. Even national companies, such as Ford, Heinz, Kellog, Rowntree-Mackintosh and Shell U.K., were among the companies with no formal policies.

In fact, the study concluded that *to have a formal maternity policy is the exception rather than the rule* in Britain today. The study found eight companies with informal and unwritten policies operating on a dis­ cretionary basis, but forty-eight companies said they had no policy, even if a few had allowed occasional unpaid leave to certain employees who had requested it.

Opposition to introducing maternity leave was found to be based on the fear that the organisation would be disrupted by large numbers of women requesting maternity leave. In fact, the majority of companies operating schemes said very few women took advantage of the provisions. This was partly due to the lack of facilities for children's day care, and companies in areas with closer-knit families reported large numbers of women returning to work after a short break.

The Institute of Personnel Management undertook on its own account a survey of some of their members in

1971

1 'Special Leave Allowance* IPM Information Report 9» November 1971.

- 80 -

This opposition to maternity leave was expressed by those who argued that 'maternity leave could reduce job opportunity for women, since employers might be reluctant about placing a woman in a skilled job if they knew they had to keep it open for her for three months while she was away having a baby'. Some, not necessarily employers, would also maintain that it is socially undesirable to encourage mothers to take full-time employment while leaving their babies with relatives or *au pair* girls.

The question of maternity leave is obviously one which is receiving greater attention and research both by companies and unions at the present time, especially the National Union of Teachers and the General and Municipal Workers Union. However, an Incomes Data also noted, it still tends to be pushed to one side in the final negotiations of collective agreements.

Occupational schemes whereby employees may take time off to nurse a sick child without loss to their continuity of employment are even more rare than maternity schemes, except that this may be done at the employer's discretion in individual cases. One enlightened scheme is that of the General Post Office under which employees only receive a very small pro­ port ion of salary during such leave but job, pensions and increment rights are safe-guarded.

(

6

a ) Social Attitudes

Statistical evidence, as provided in the earlier part of this study, amply demonstrates that discrimination against women exists in this

country on a wide scale at all levels of employment. The sole inter­ action of economic factors does not, however, fully explain the extent and persistence of past and present discriminatory practices. Deep- rooted sociological factors have also played, and are still playing, a major role in influencing the orientation of the occupational pattern of women in employment.

Despite significant improvements in education and job opportunities for women, British society has been rather slow in adapting its traditional social attitudes to fast changing demographic, technological and economic trends: '.... discriminatory attitudes as are demonstrated by employers are not some peculiar viciousness of employers as employers, but simply reflects the nature of a feature of British society which is, whether one likes it or not, discriminatory and which is a style of society that seems to be just as acceptable to very many women as it is to very many

,1 men' .

General acceptance of discrimination stems, by and large, from deeply ingrained attitudes which still regard the care of the home and of the family as the most important female task. Even at present, a man's status and respectability are still defined by his job, whereas a woman's depends on her freedom from it.

These time-honoured stereotypes of women's role and feminine attributes have, in turn, exerted a powerful influence on the attitudes and behaviour of parents, women, men and employers.

A firm belief exists among many parents and others, that it is a waste of time, effort and money to educate girls further than 'they need to be*. Consequently, girls face, throughout their upbringing and adolescence, a constant process of social conditioning to a role in society which severely limits their subsequent role in the occupational field. Girls' horizons in consequence are already likely to have been restricted by social pressures before they begin to decide about a career. It is not universal, but it is not unexpected for a careers officer to see parents who believe that the

p career of their son is infinitely more important than that of their daughter'

1 Institute of Careers Officers' evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Anti-Discrimination Bill, p.

116

2

113

- 82 »

The conditioning to lower aspirations has, unfortunately* the damaging effect of creating in the minds of girls the misconception that their role in society is essentially a supporting ones competing with boys is outside socially accepted norms and girls, therefore, must not indulge in it. More unfortunate, is the fact that this precept follows girls throughout their adult life and ultimately leads them to a lack of inclination to compete with men for available job opportunities for fear of infringing those social norms. Apart from drastically curtailing the tange of openings, fear of

1

1

1968

1

1

Conservative social attitudes on the part of women remain widespread in the U.K., but it would be somewhat naive to 1generalise about women as if the entire sex reacted in a uniform manner to work opportunities. There can be little doubt that in both World Wars many women greatly enjoyed the opportunity of learning new skills and tackling unfamiliar and responsible work

1

1

1 Fancy Seear. Position of Women in Industry. Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers

1

1968

in competition with men* Par from promoting opportunities for other women they may, in fact, block them1^.

Husbands

1