Pericles I was just extrapolating from some women who I am aware of

The women who worked whilst their partners played in a band, as soon as they suggested children the fellas ran away and got other women pregnant.

The women who established their career then looked for a mate to discover the available men were not as well presented, earning as high incomes as they were or not their intellectual equals.

I know of a 28 year who works from 8am to 10pm to establish her career and her cousin aged 35 wants to downsize her career to get a life. Another 2 to 5 years puts her very close to infertile.

About 52% of university students are women who have HECS debts to repay like the blokes do. 60% of Australian women under age 30 are childless. About a quarter of all women will remain childless.

I have no answers to Col Rouge's thoughts on who pays as I am sure that employer paid maternity leave will be just another tool to persecute prospective women employees - who will in all probability find that only temporary and casual positions are available for them. After 20 years of this girls and women will reset their sights to view "a good marriage" as a worthwhile career choice.

The family court, domestic violence are still major barriers to reaching these goals. Domestic violence services funding was cut severely whilst mens groups funding has been on the rise. There are numerous services out there not meeting the "No To Violence" service standards. How can we work or even think about having babies when these things are still a huge issue. The more domestic violence continues, the less women will be able to do anything unless more drastic action is taken. Considering that "family violence is the Core business of the family court" and the revenue they get from further systematically abusing women so that they are so severely traumatized and degraded that they end up living in poverty anyway. Its a lose - lose situation if everybody keeps looking for Band-Aids instead of getting to the root cause of women's issues. Homicide rates have gone up since the family law reform and the focus is on educating women? Its a waste of time considering how much disability, death and trauma that does not get addressed. I have watched two generations being severely affected because they were court ordered, coerced and blackmailed into continuing the cycle of family violence. Does there really need to be another generation?

We have a generous leave scheme already. It's currently called the 'baby bonus'.

The bonus has been condemned as an example of ‘middle class welfare’ - yet paid maternity leave - a much more expensive and complicated scheme - is being welcomed with open arms.
Why?

The bonus could be made essentially equal to eighteen weeks payments… or more.

In its previously non-means-tested form, as a payment made directly from government to family, many women were able to negotiate ‘top-up’ maternity leave payments with employers, with no tax penalties.

All women have up to a year unpaid leave. With eighteen weeks pay, the time for them to return could be at their own discretion.

According to the Australian newspaper, about half of Australian women already have access to employer maternity payments!

The simplicity of the bonus scheme allowed employers to control costs associated with maternity leave, but encouraged them to participate in paid maternity arrangements because of the bonus's 'one-size-fits-all' policy. Why should the taxpayer provide what many employers are already paying for?

The big end of town will in all likelihood cut back their maternity arrangements.

On the flip side, for small business the need to keep a position open for up to a year already involves significant costs such as training, and paying higher wages for temporary staff.
But because there are no on-costs associated with a non-worker, marginal businesses were not really that inclined to avoid hiring women. There was no survival imperative to do so.

Having businesses responsible for the payments of the wage upfront, in addition to super, to be reimbursed by government - is absolutely alarming!
What happens to the other requirements of business, such as capital reinvestment in equipment and training, so necessary for longer-term business survival?

And all to create a false impression that the business is paying a government hand-out! There is no indication that an employee would feel obliged to return to the employer that paid out this government money.

Maternity leave is a must for bringing forth a healthy baby at the end of pregnancy.Both man and woman should be free from harmful influences much before the couple decides to have a baby.This is much more important in the case of women.Pregnant women doing all sorts of hazardous work is commonplace nowadays.But it is dangerous for the baby in the womb.Medical opinion says so.Therefore women should be given long maternity leave in the interest of the baby.Who pays is altogether a different matter.If we want to create better progenies, adequate maternity leave is a must.The society cannot expect women to bear and deliver a healthy baby and also bring income for the family. Only one thing can be done properly at one point of time. The society should ensure a harmless environment for the pregnant mother and it is the duty of a civilised society.