Should man enjoy paid maternity leave
男士是否该享有带薪产假
Radical reforms to maternity leave legislation, which would allow fathers to take more paid time off，will be proposed today by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
今天平等与人权委员会将提出对产假立法的激进改革,将使父亲享受更多的带薪假期。
New parental rights introduced over the past decade are well intentioned but entrench the current unequal division of labour and caring between the sexes and work against gender equality,” the EHRC，s Working Better report says.
EHRC的《更好工作》报告里说：“过去10年来引人父母新权利的想法是很好的,但在立法上造成了不平等的劳动分工和性别关怀的失衡。”
Research conducted by the commission suggests that families no longer have firm preconceptions about men as breadwinners and women as carers, but notes that legislation is lagging behind this shift “
该委员会进行的研究表明,现在的家庭不再有男性挣钱养家糊口和女性相夫教子的成见,但需要提醒的是,立法总是滞后于社会的变化。
Britain now stands out internationally for having a very long period of leave reserved for mothers, most of it at a low rate of pay, and for having a relatively weak parental leave,” the report says.
报告说广英国目前有很长一段时间的假期留给母亲,在国际上引起了人们的注意,其中大部分假期工资比较低,并有一个相对短暂的育儿假
“Together long, low-paid maternity leave and short, low-paid paternity leave convey the message that it is primarily women who are responsible for the care of young children,”
“长期的低薪产假和短期低薪陪产假传达出的倌息是主要由女性来负责照顾年幼的子女。”
Research shows that the gender pay gap (which on average sees men being paid 17 pence in every pound more than women) more than trebles when women reach their 30s as a result of the career compromises which come with motherhood.
研究表明,在30多岁由于准备怀孕而给工作让步的女性身上，男女工资差距超球3倍以上(平均下来每英镑男性比女性多收人17 便士 )
Concluding that it was time that “policy-making enabled men to play an equal part in parenting”， the EHRC proposes that the first 26 weeks of a baby’s life would remain dedicated maternity leave for mothers, but with higher rates of pay, so that they would receive 90% of pay for the entirety of their maternity leave. Fathers would still get two weeks of paternity leave at the birth of their child, but this would also go up to 90% of their pay.
由此得出的结论认为，是“发挥决策作用使男性平等地参与养育子女”的时候了。EHRC提议，婴儿出生后26周母亲将继续休产假,但应给予较髙的工资，这样她们应在整个产假得到总收入的 90%。父亲在其子女出生时仍获得两个星期的陪产假，但是工资也应上升到平时的90%。
Beyond the first six months of maternity leave, the commission proposes three blocks of “parental leave"，which could be taken any time before the child's fifth birthday, each of about four months, one block dedicated to mothers, one to fathers and one either could take.
在前6个月产假的基础上,委员会提出了3段“育儿假”,可以在孩子5岁前的任何时间内休假,每个阶段大约4个月，一个给母亲休,一个给父亲休，另外一个父母双方任何一个都可以。
The first eight weeks of each of these blocks of leave would be paid at 90%.
每段假期的前8周都应支付90%的工资。
Under the scheme, parents would not usually be able to take leave simultaneously. ‘To encourage more fathers to take responsibility for caring for children we are keen that some part of the leave entitlement for fathers is taken alone, without the mother on leave，” the report says.
根据这项计划,父母通常不能同时休假。报告说为了鼓励父亲更多地承担照顾子女的责任，我们热切地希望部分假期应该是父亲单独享有的，母亲可以继续工作。”
Their research showed that families with an annual income of less than 15,000 pounds were much less likely to take leave than families with a higher income. Similarly, single mothers were far more likely to take a very short maternity leave. The proposed increase in paid leave would help low-income parents to take longer time off after the birth, the EHRC said.
他们的研究表明，年收人少于1.5万英镑的家庭要比收人较高家庭休假的可能性小得多。同样,单身母亲更可能休非常短的产假。EHRC建议增加带薪休假将的提议有助于低收人父母在孩子出生后获得较长时间的休假。
Alarm about the unintended negative consequences of enhanced maternity leave arrangements intensified last year when the entrepreneur Sir Alan Sugar said he would be less likely to hire a woman of child-bearing age. Explaining that the law was “counterproductive”, he said, “If someone comes into an interview and you think to yourself there is a possibility that this woman might have a child and therefore take time off it is a bit of a psychological negative thought.”
去年出现的增加产假安排的意外结果让人堪忧。企业家艾伦休格爵士表示,他将不太可能雇用一名育龄女性。他解释说法律是“适得其反”，如果有人来参加面试,你会给自己“有可能这个女人会生小孩，因此要休假”这样一种消极的心理暗示。
The changes suggested by the EHRC would redress the balance in this area.
EHRC所提出的这些变化要调整这方面的不平衡。
The EHRC -has calculated that the scheme would cost 5.3bn pounds, and proposes it be introduced gradually over 10 years.
据EHRC计算,这项计划将耗资53亿英镑,从提议到逐渐被接受将需要超过10年的时间。
The management of the EHRC was under pressure this weekend after a number of resignations, but senior figures will gather in London today to launch the report.
在本周末大量人员辞职后,EHRC的管理压力重重，但资深人士今天将在伦敦举行报告会。