Whether or not you come back to read this, I thought I would post my opinion anyway.  As an older mum (43) with a young child (22 months) who works for a smaller company full time, I have an interest in this.

I have worked for this small company for over 19 years now and we never discriminate against taking on women because of them being of child bearing age, we have 2 women out on maternity leave at the moment.

As the company can claim back 90% of the maternity pay paid to those on Maternity leave and the SMP is usually lower then the women's full salary it doesn't hurt us too bad. Most of the time we have managed with some effort to either cover their job's internally or by taking on temps.  But I could see other small companies would find this difficult to do.

The more significant problem, I have found, which is rarely discussed, is after you have returned to work and you need to take time off due to your child being ill or if you have problems with child care.

Smaller companies tend not to be so sympathetic when you need to take time off for child related problems.  Yes most have a small provision, like mine, you are allowed 3 days paid in any one year and then after that you have to take unpaid time off.  Plus you are also viewed at being slightly unreliable as you never know when your child is going to be ill, this I have found definitely has a bearing on future rises and promotions.

This is one area that really gets my goat, it's not the maternity leave, or the child care facilities and costs, that the government should address about working mothers, but the time off needed to look after sick children when necessary.

I thought I'd originally posted this on the older mums-to-be forum and thought Bounty had deleted my thread (when I couldn't find it) so I started another one entitled, "I swear I posted something on here earlier" with the below:

If not, then it's my preggie brain

If I did, and it was deleted, I'm sorry if it caused offence.  Not entirely sure why though

PLEASE READ THROUGH BEFORE MAKING UP YOUR MIND!!!!

I was watching The Wright Stuff this morning and the discussions was surrounding the new 1 year maternity pay for mums and how smaller businesses are now reluctant to employ women of child-bearing age.  I was telling hubby that how would the employer know which woman to employ and which not to as older ladies (and I am one) are having babies.  They even quoted Sir Alan Sugar as saying employing child-bearing ladies is dangerous to a business.

Don't see how this will cause offence but sorry if it did  or maybe I didn't post it earlier on.

I was asking hubby that how would they know as women are giving birth later and later on these days.

If a woman, say, in her 40s walks in for an interview, will the employer think he's on to a safe bet as she won't have any more babies?  How wrong would he be eh

Surely, if I'm asked in an interview if I would have any more kids, I would say, "no".  Nothing would stop me though after I've worked off my probation.  Fools!!