Warning over maternity leave threat to women's careers

THE right to a year's maternity leave could be ruining women's careers, equality watchdogs warned yesterday.

Nicola Brewer, chief executive of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, said bosses were thinking twice about offering women jobs or promotions.

She said her fears had been heightened by Apprentice supremo Sir Alan Sugar, who claimed recently that bosses simply throw away CVs from women of child-bearing age.

Brewer said she was worried that the law changes "have had the unintended consequence of making women a less attractive prospect to employers".

She suggested that parental leave could be split between couples, with dads taking some of the time off after the first six months.