Ireland lags far behind other member states in the EU when it comes to maternity leave, paternity leave and parental leave according to Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Fingal, Louise O'Reilly.
Speaking from Brussels, Deputy O'Reilly said the Irish state was identified by a conference of experts from across Europe as an example of worst practice in the EU when it comes to parental leave rights.
O'Reilly claimed the 26 weeks of paid maternity leave that new mothers in this state are entitled to is paid at a low flat rate, one of the lowest levels of payment in the EU.
Deputy O'Reilly said, "The decision made by the outgoing government to force lone-parent households to disproportionately bear the brunt of austerity cuts has led to the situation where these households, the vast majority of them headed by women, are experiencing enforced deprivation at a staggering rate of 63%."
She added, "And the prohibitive cost of childcare in this state - at around double the EU average - has the disgraceful effect of entirely excluding some women from participating in the productive economy and forcing others into precarious, low-paid jobs."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
