IELTS essay question 4th Feb 2012 - advantages and disadvantagesof maternity leave.

In many countries, women are allowed to take maternity leave during the first month after the birth of the new born. Do you think the advantages of maternity leave outweigh the disadvantages? ( 4^th Feb essay 2012 – India)

I definitely agree that the pros of maternity leave outweigh the cons. A number of arguments support my opinion.

My major argument is that the future of the world rests largely in the hands of the generation we are rearing. Once a child is born, it becomes national property. Mothers are the front line child care providers and therefore, if they are given maternity leave, they can do their job better. In most Indian homes the mother’s salary is necessary to support the family. So, if the mother does not get a paid maternity leave, then she has to go back to job earlier and this affects the childcare. Nurseries fail to provide the one-to-one interaction children need.

Secondly, a woman has to go with very stressful time physically, emotionally, and financially during pregnancy period. Therefore, if women are allowed maternity leave, they can look after their health. Another important advantage of the maternity leave is that, the job is secure. Where maternity leave is not allowed, the woman has to leave her job the vacancy may get filled when it is time for her to get back to work.

There are a few disadvantages of the maternity leave. A long maternity leave may be an obstacle for career progression. Secondly, in cases of unpaid maternity leave, there may be financial strain on the households.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that the disadvantages of maternity leave are negligible as compared to the advantages. That is why some countries have taken a step forward and allowed maternity leave to women after child-birth.