Unintended consequence of maternity leave

[SueEllen]

That's interesting.
I thought the worker was paid out of the invoices they brought in.
Where does the SMP money come from if the umbrellee doesn't invoice enough?

Government.

[SueEllen]

"In any event, the introduction of shared parental leave from April will mean men as well as women taking leave to look after their new baby. This will help to stamp out outdated stereotypes about who should do what, and let parents get on with making their own decisions about how they manage work and family life."

That will help a bit. But with women still seen as the primary carer they are always going to suffer in their career.

There are women around who earn the same as, or more than their male partners.

I've actually worked alongside permies and a couple of contractors who as guys were the primary carer i.e. they had to sort the childcare out, they had to run home if their kid was sick.