Referendum on maternity leave for female politicians might be held, says Irish PM

Current rules mean politicians need sick note if they want time off to be with newborn children

While Justice Minister Helen McEntee recently announced she is expecting her first child, no legal provision exists to allow her to take maternity leave. (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ireland could hold a referendum to permit female politicians to take maternity leave, the Irish prime minister has said.

Current rules mean politicians have to provide a sick note if they want to have some time off work to be with their newborn children.

While the Irish justice minister, Helen McEntee, recently announced she is expecting her first child, no legal provision exists to allow her to take maternity leave.

Micheal Martin, Ireland’s Taoiseach, said it did not reflect well on a modern democracy that maternity leave could not be provided for female politicians.

“It may very well require a referendum and perhaps should,” he told reporters.

“There are issues there of a constitutional nature in terms of a member of the house. For example, as a TD or senator and as a minister.

“And I think it doesn't reflect well on a modern democracy that we cannot facilitate a woman going on maternity leave in ministerial office. I think that's something we should rectify. The precise mechanisms to rectify that we are still examining.”

Mr Martin said the government has not yet decided if an interim minister will be appointed to the justice portfolio while Ms McEntee is on leave.

He said: “We will have to do some interim measures, I'm not talking just in the context of Helen McEntee, because Helen herself would want us to do it generally as a basic, necessary modern reform of our parliamentary democracy and also to make life, the quality of life, better for all concerned, including paternity leaves as well.

“So it's not good enough and we need to change it. My view is that having examined all the details, we should change it at different levels or stages."

He said discussions with the attorney general are currently underway as to whether a referendum will be needed.

Campaigners previously told The Independent women MPs in the UK stood down at the general election last December due to a lack of formal maternity leave, long working hours and other “archaic” working conditions.

These issues were coupled with being subjected to “horrific abuse” and parliament becoming increasingly “bullish” and “intimidating” for women.

Under plans unveiled by Labour last November, new mothers would be eligible to a full year of paid maternity leave and firms would be forced to provide flexible working by default.

In the UK, statutory maternity leave for mothers is 52 weeks, but fathers are only permitted to take up to two weeks of paternity leave off work.

It recently emerged Finnish parents would both receive the same amount of fully paid parental leave – with the predominantly female-led government introducing this to motivate fathers to have time off with their children.

Paternity leave has been extended to nearly seven months in the Nordic country – identical to the amount that can be taken for maternity leave.

Additional reporting by wires