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0 pointsdudul6y ago0 comments

The goal is probably more to reach equal pay/opportunity as opposed to any population growth agenda.

When I was in the EU, I knew a woman who had 4 kids, each ~1/1.5 year appart. So she would have a kid, be out 6 month, go back to work for 6 month, have another kid, rinse and repeat 4 times :) .

It was a total nightmare for her employer because they couldn't let her go, and they couldn't hire anyone permanently to do her job. They could only use short term contractors who would stay 6 months (barely enough time to get up to speed) and then leave. I don't know if she was "abusing" the system, I mean, it was her right by law to do that, but after popping the 4th one she left work to be a stay at home mom. I don't know how well her employer took it :)

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blub6y ago

A smart employer would have hired someone full time to have slack. Especially after the 2nd kid.

zozbot2346y ago

Makes sense. Having kids is one thing, but what if she got hit by a bus. You should never be that dependent on any one person. And there are many lines of work where having the employee take some time off helps with making sure that they're doing their work properly and not hiding something. You just have to plan for it.

dudulOP6y ago

I don't believe it was that simple. Technically the full time position existed and hiring someone else would have required finding long term budget for another one. It was in a country were firing people is very difficult when they're on a permanent position so when you hire, you have to be sure you can make it work.

foogazi6y ago

what is the cost to the employer of hiring another person just for “slack”?

Looks like it would lead to bloat & waste

tilolebo6y ago

Not sure that this was the real intent. Germany was notorious for having many stay at home mothers.

So women had to chose between family and career, which partly explains the low birth rate. Actually it is still the case because school finishes around 2 pm, so many parents (often the mother) have to work part time because of that.

An indirect consequence maybe a decrease of the gender salary gap, but I doubt this was the main purpose...

ackshually6y ago

Could you imagine if you had a really important job you needed doing and the person you hired pulled this. Honestly I'd probably "Expand the team" of people doing the job to two, get the not-a-replacement up to speed and just chalk it up to the cost of doing business that people can play the system like this.

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