Year off for a youngster?

Liz Jones – a journalist who seems to love stirring. I am starting to believe it is a requirement for _Daily Mail_ journalists. They love to get their names in big lights, underneath outrageous titles, thrusting themselves onto television sofas, into actual newspapers and onto the Twitter feed as quickly as possible (Samantha-gate anyone?)

Last week, _This Morning_ featured a debate on a recent controversial survey which stated that its results revealed that women liked having babies so they can have time off work and would even consider having a baby simply to have time off.

Liz Jones took part in this debate after writing an article agreeing with this comment; she stated she wasn’t very surprised by the results in the slightest. In her article, Liz Jones had stated that it irritated her that women feel it is their right to have maternity leave, that it is unfair for women to get to take a year off whilst the rest of their female colleagues have to pick up the pieces, and during the interview she even personally stated that she would employ older women in favour of younger ones because younger ones are more likely to go away and have children (word to wise, do not state you do something VERY illegal on national television).

Before I could even pick my jaw off the floor Holly Willoughby – the television goddess we all want to befriend – swept in for the kill. _Thank God_. But then again did Liz Jones really have a leg…no an ankle to stand on?

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs a woman will ever have to endure, and it’s a well known fact that women will not be sleeping for well over a year when they have first received their bundle of joy. Black bags, wrinkles and probably the odd throbbing vein will appear on the mother’s face as they deal with their screaming, crying, demanding little angels. How can another woman believe that this is the easy option?

A ‘lifestyle’ choice – Liz Jones’s label for parenthood, which consequently makes it sound derogatory and selfish. People should not be penalised for wanting children and producing human life; it should not be classed in the same category has saying have your hair regularly done or back massaged. It seems to me like Liz Jones needs to go back to primary school and be reminded of exactly how she came to live on this planet – if it was deemed wrong for women to have children…well none of us would be here.

I think what truly angered me about this dispute was the fact the words were being spoken by a woman. And not just any woman – a very hypocritical one. A woman who had only last year, admitted to having tried to steal her boyfriend’s sperm in order so that she could have a child (And yep, such an article got her lots of attention once again). I truly wanted to high-five Holly when she very rightly pointed out that women get enough abuse and prejudice as it is – we do not need other women joining in and supplying it (once again, Samantha-gate anyone?)

Liz Jones tried to rescue her ‘strong’ argument with the point that women returning from maternity leave are detrimental to their jobs. I am sorry when did it become a part of the new mother’s handbook to relax and put your feet up? Where does it biologically state that your mind turns to mush? How dare they not ring into work and check up on the latest statistics? How dare they only return to the office to ‘selfishly’ receive baby presents? And lets just ignore the fact that when the women do return to work, they often work twice as hard because they feel they need to prove themselves, and at the same time have to go home and juggle still having a baby – it’s not just for maternity leave, it’s for life. Meanwhile workers like Liz Jones can just go home.

I don’t think anybody finished listening to the debate agreeing with Liz Jones. She was opposite Holly Willoughby for crying out loud, a fine example of a woman who works extremely hard at her job, and at the same time juggles having two children. And at the end of the day, I am playing into Liz Jones’s hands by even writing this article. She said what she said to be controversial – or at least I really hope she did, otherwise she is just plain thick. She wanted a reaction, just like she did in December and right now I am giving her one… so I’ll just stay stum.