I am petitioning to make it policy that parents are entitled to full maternity or paternity pay irrespective of length of service in a public sector job. While this issue may impact men and women, the impact is more notable among female workers and I therefore consider this a human right and a critical aspect of women's rights in work.

Women, and men, in public service jobs are able to access different levels of allowance dependent on their length of service. The decision to increase parental pay and the duration of pay in accordance with time spent in a particular job negatively impacts women, more so than men, in their careers. 

Women who are trying to start a family are less able to move to promotions, or move sideways into a new job if they are trying to conceive. By creating a culture where parents, or prospective parents, are rewarded for staying within a role, or a borough, or a particular academy of education, we are stalling women's careers and their pay. We are less likely to have women in leadership roles as through their 20s, and now often into their late 30s and beyond, women will be factoring in maternity pay reductions when weighing up the benefits of a job move. 

For many women and families maternity/paternity pay is essential, and the effect of a reduction in this is unworkable, limiting lower income families over those with higher income or external support. These families will not be able to consider moving location or roles while trying to conceive, thereby missing out on potentially years of opportunity for promotion or professional development.  We need to support all parents, women, and lower income families, to help our public service encourage a diverse range of representatives in leadership and management positions. We need women to feel able to come back to work, if this is what they want or need, to a job they chose and a job they want. We need more women and more people from a range of backgrounds in positions where they can affect change. 

Removing this barrier, and allowing parents access to full maternity or paternity benefits independent of the length in a public service job, will allow parents (especially women) to make choices about their career removed from the stress of parental pay considerations.

Women do not know when they will be able to conceive, they do not have control over this part of their lives, so let women, and all parents, have greater control over their careers and find satisfaction in new jobs while they navigate the journey through parenthood.