Future policy | Why are some leaders so afraid of women taking maternity leave?

To hear a business leader speak about avoiding maternity pay or costs is the kind of comment that you might feel belongs more in an 80s or 90s sitcom, at best.

But in a recent meeting at Denbighshire council, this was an all-too-real 2023 moment, as a councillor said that hiring 'older women' would be a way of avoiding the cost of maternity pay (and paying for the maternity cover).