It is now increasingly common to see women in political positions talk about their maternity or find ways to reconcile both roles. From deputies who took their babies to Congress to senators presenting motions in parliament while breastfeeding their babies.
Now New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will join this group of women, as she recently announced that she is pregnant with her first baby, giving birth during her term and a maternity leave will be taken.
Jacinda Ardern is the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and has been news in recent months, because at thirty-seven, she is the youngest woman in history to become prime minister of a state and the second most person Young man in the world to hold that position.
The prime minister took office in October and precisely During her campaign she was questioned about whether or not she had plans to become a mother in case of becoming elected prime minister. His answer was one that many people applauded, since he criticized and refused to answer those kinds of questions, commenting that "It is unacceptable that in 2017 women have to answer that question in their workplace. A woman's decision about when she wants to be a mother should not predetermine whether or not they are offered a job.".
Through a press conference at the entrance of his official residence, the Prime Minister and her partner Clarke Gayford gave the happy announcement of the wait for their first child. "Hello everyone, we have a slightly unusual ad"the president began with a big smile. She commented that They wait for the arrival of their baby for the month of June and that was something that took them by surprise, because they had been told that they could not conceive without help.
He clarified that although being a mother will be something very special, he will not downplay his responsibility as a mandatory: "Of course, I take my role of becoming a mother very seriously, just as Clarke takes her role of becoming a father, but in the same way, I take very seriously the role that I have as Prime Minister of New Zealand".
He went on to say that a maternal leave will be taken six weeks after the birth of your baby and that during that time the Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters will replace her, resuming her activities and responsibilities as mandatory at the end of said period, in which she will keep in touch and available for whatever is necessary.
"I am not the first woman to do multiple tasks at once, I'm not the first woman who works and has a baby. I know the circumstances are special, but there are many women who have done this well before me"commented the Prime Minister.
He will divide the maternity leave with his partner
As we mentioned, the Prime Minister of New Zealand will take a maternity leave of six weeks once her baby is born, which makes her a great example by having such an important position. Upon returning to work as mandatory, your partner will continue with said withdrawal being the primary caregiver of his son, to later be "dad at home".
Currently, maternity leave in New Zealand is 18 weeks, but just one of the first changes made by the Prime Minister at the beginning of her administration, was to increase it. By July 1 of this year, it will increase to 22 weeks, and then increase again to 26 weeks by July 1, 2020.
Reactions in social networks
As expected, the announcement of the Prime Minister of New Zealand It has provoked a series of reactions, being able to notice two different positions regarding your pregnancy.
On the one hand, there are those who support him and applaud the way in which he is handling everything and the fact of taking a maternity leave. But on the other hand, there are those who think that it is not possible to take charge of both roles in a responsible way, and there are even some people who suggest that the best thing you should do is to resign your position.
But in general, most people applaud his decision and note the great example he shows when choosing to make his maternity leave valid.
