"Where are Julia Gillard, Jenny Macklin, Nicola Roxon, Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek, Justine Elliot, Kate Ellis, Maxine McKew, Ursula Stevens and Jan McLucas on this issue?"

Now, let's just re-read the list and see why the author was ill-informed to even write it.

How many of these women are in a married (yes, married, no de facto etc) relationship that has a husband of similar age and with children?

I make no judgement as to these women's current relationships, however, I would point out the majority of women in society have very little in the way of shared history and interests with these professional politicians.

Another OLO article on poly's salaries makes the point - parliament is not representative of 'real' society...

My only objection to this excellent essay is that Ms Tranter is still locked into the concept that mothers should be the recipients of parental pay.

If women expect men to challenge their own male conditioning, then women need to get beyond their entrenched female conditioning that they must be the primary carers of children. At the very least, the parameters of the ‘maternity’ leave debate must be widened to become ‘parental’ leave. Anything less will keep women trapped in their own biology, and further entrench the social paradigm that men remain outside the childcare loop.

Pericles

'Could you please take a moment to point out the economic benefits that have accrued to countries who have implemented paid maternity leave, compared to those who have not?’

In terms of the wider society, the benefits to be gained from parental leave are not particularly economic - more a symbolic statement of what we value as a society.

What you might well ask is: Why can the Rudd Government – GFC and all – afford to fork out between $20 billion and $35 billion between now and 2015 to upgrade its submarine fleet, yet can’t afford to fork out just under $600 million per year in parental pay? A submarine fleet will not stop a terrorist attack or a serious invasion by a determined foe. The cost outlay is purely symbolic - to cement Australia's standing in the international diplomatic and military community.

And why is it that there appears to be no widespread community objection to the current system of the Baby Bonus, estimated to cost the taxpayer $1.3 Billion annually?

As a society, we have compartmenalised parenthood as an economic 'extra', instead of being of fundamental economic importance. Unlike the Baby Bonus, which simply ‘rewards’ parents for their fertility, maternity (parental) pay acknowledges that the job of parenting makes a direct economic contribution to society.

SJF,

You've confirmed all my suspicions about the symbolism I discussed in my earlier post.

SJF "At the very least, the parameters of the ‘maternity’ leave debate must be widened to become ‘parental’ leave. Anything less will keep women trapped in their own biology, and further entrench the social paradigm that men remain outside the childcare loop."

Very well said.

I've often argued that materity leave should only be materity leave where gender is the overriding factor - before the birth and immediately following it. Beyond that it should be up to the parents to decide what arrangements best suit their families needs to provide care rather then it being determined by gender based leave provisions.

The options should include the possibility for both parents to work part time, it might include each doing a period of full time parenting leave or it may be one parent being the stay at home parent for the childs early years.

R0bert

Houellebecq

‘You've confirmed all my suspicions about the symbolism I discussed in my earlier post.’

Except that you appear to view this symbolism value as a trivial pettiness, whereas I don’t - quite the reverse.

We can afford parental pay – indeed we've been ‘doing’ it for decades. However, by changing the terminology and the processing to officially treat it as ‘pay’, rather than as a charitable ‘benefit’, ‘endowment’ or ‘bonus’, we place the parenting role WITHIN the economy where it belongs, instead of permanently on the outside.

the equitable solution is goverment by agreement between women's and men's legislatures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCYlv6AUdMY