"Me-ternity" vs Maternity Leave

Gunce • Head of research at Glow. Unwilling infertility expert. 2 kids after 6 IVF treatments.

At this point, I’m sure many of you have heard of the new book by Meghann Foye called Meternity, or at least heard about the backlash she is getting for a Post article about it. In case you haven’t yet, here is a link to the article.

And here are some direct quotes that have moms outraged:

"I couldn’t help but feel envious when parents on staff left the office at 6 p.m. to tend to their children, while it was assumed co-workers without kids would stay behind to pick up the slack."

"For women who follow a “traditional” path, this pause often naturally comes in your late 20s or early 30s, when a wedding, pregnancy and babies means that your personal life takes center stage. But for those who end up on the “other” path, that socially mandated time and space for self-reflection may never come."

"It seemed that parenthood was the only path that provided a modicum of flexibility. There’s something about saying “I need to go pick up my child” as a reason to leave the office on time that has far more gravitas than, say, “My best friend just got ghosted by her OkCupid date and needs a margarita” — but both sides are valid."

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For me personally, the time I spent with my newborns was both an incredible gift and by far the hardest thing that I have ever done. The idea that maternity leave is a "time for self-reflection" is to put it briefly, laughable.

But I want to open up this debate in the Glow community. Do you feel that the Meghann has a valid point? Do you believe that the backlash she is getting is fair or not fair? If you yourself are a mother, did you believe that parenthood has provided you with "a modicum of flexibility"? If you are a single woman, do you believe that "my best friend got ghosted" is as valid a reason to leave work on time as "need to pick up my child"?

Cannot wait to hear your thoughts. 

 

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