The Duchess of Cambridge has resumed her royal duties after five months of maternity leave. On 2 September, she was reported as ‘returning to work’, along with photographs of her at a wildlife garden in London.
The Telegraph decided to publish an article praising the short period of leave. The article claimed shorter maternity leave “should be normal” for everyone. Of course, the commoners disagreed.
Nannies
Many pointed out that it’s much easier to take a shorter period of maternity leave when you have extra paid help:
https://twitter.com/stavvers/status/1047151626560200705
How about the royals donate a Nanny to all working class families so that this can be reality.
— Bazarito AFC (@BazaritoDorito) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/b_nishanov/status/1047154436093763584
‘Work’
In particular, people are wary of describing the Duchess’s royal duties as “work”. Along with the fact that the taxpayer is still footing the bill for the royal family:
She doesn’t work and we pay for her life and rent and bills so every day has been maternity leave for Kate since 2011 go away https://t.co/nIWAOne101
— Congolesa Rice (@judeinlondon) October 2, 2018
I'm glad she's feeling recovered enough to wave at people from expensive cars again, but most women do not have armies of staff to help them out with the exhausting work of motherhood. And most women have, you know, actual fucking jobs. https://t.co/7fODgHPFNf
— Eleanor Penny (@eleanorkpenny) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/luapula/status/1047125482339225601
Anger
Some people were angry at the suggestion that taking shorter maternity leave is feminist and empowering. The Telegraph is clearly unaware of the struggles of most working mothers:
'Shorter maternity leaves like the Duchess of Cambridge's should be normal'
do you have ANY IDEA how hard women fought to get decent maternity leave in this country? go fuck yourself
— go loud (@PublicStilli) October 2, 2018
Also breastfeeding. Plenty of jobs make breastfeeding difficult, because there are no facilities for expressing and storing breastmilk at work. Do we want breastfeeding rates to plummet in this country?
— Lena Wahlgren-Smith (@lwahlgrensmith) October 3, 2018
Torygraph
The whole debate has provoked criticism of the Telegraph. And people have commented on how out of touch it is with most people:
Absolutely agree with you!! Maternity leave is brief enough, paid maternity leave even briefer, and properly paid maternity leave barely exists…and when childcare costs all too often negate going to work…well, but the Torygraph don't care about all that do they…ARGH!
— Kate Lovell (@katejlovell) October 2, 2018
The #Torygraph has taken leave of its senses here. The elite really are determined to have everyone dropping dead of exhaustion at their desks, so the state can avoid having to pay us our pensions #DuchessofCambridge
— Sparkle (@StarSparkle_UK) October 2, 2018
Maternity leave is a hard-earned right which is vital in helping women get into work. And the circumstances of every woman who goes on maternity leave vary a great deal.
So to suggest that shorter maternity leave “should be normal” is bad enough. But to do so using the example of a royal whose childcare is funded by taxpayers? Well, that’s just plain stupid. Although, can we really expect any better from the Torygraph?
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