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The beginning of this was obnoxious, but if you read to the end, you can see that she discovers that it was really herself pressuring herself to stay later at work, etc. She figures out at the end that she needs to be her own advocate.

I don't have a problem with the concept of this (I would just call it sabbatical, which is a good thing for both men and women). But yeah, "me-ternity leave" is stupid. It's not like taking a 3 month break. People who don't have kids have no idea.

I don't think she's necessarily calling parents selfish and lazy. She admits that it wasn't them or even her job that kept her chained to her desk, but it was herself and her own perceptions.

I think framing it as "meternity" certainly gets people talking. If she framed it as a sabbatical I think people would more easily see what she's talking about, but that wouldn't get any buzz or the headlines.

@MaryM: You're right, if this lady wanted a break, fine but comparing it to maternity leave is obviously going to be touchy with pretty much every mom!

I spent my 12 week leave recovering from a major surgery with complications and caring for a newborn mostly alone because my husband was working overtime. I went back to work sleep deprived, confused and wearing saggy maternity clothes. There was so focusing on myself and my confidence but compared to many women in this country, I am privileged.

This woman is clearly an idiot.

I think if someone is so grappled with self-doubt about their life and career and balance, they should talk to a doctor about going on FMLA. Take your own medical leave, but do it for your own reasons that have nothing to do with birthing and nurturing a baby.

I was gonna make a post about this shit too - what a joke! Some ppl are just delusional and this woman is one of them.

PS: It's called a leave of absence or a sabbatical. Unpaid, obviously, if we're comparing to American parental leave. And to really make it equal, have your expenses increase at the same time you're not getting paid.

No problem for wanting me-time... But don't equate it with maternity leave! I had negative me time on maternity leave than I do going to work!

Oh, I wasn't aware that I was having time and space for self-reflection right now.

I think y'all are taking this WAY too seriously!

1. This is the NY Post. Other articles in the same section as this story are "Dogs don't really like to be hugged" and "Mental health is just an instagram away"

2. I'm pretty sure this woman is just trying to sell a book. Not actually legislate for this to be an actual thing.

Well, I worked abroad and in that country, the firm mandated that if you were at a certain level and you had 10 years of service, you took a sabbatical of 2 months paid by the firm plus you had to add 4 weeks of your vacation time.

Every man and woman that met these criteria took the leave. This I can get behind, is that terrible?

@MaryM: There are a lot of things about which I think people need to lighten up. This is not one of them. Books/articles/jokes like this perpetuate the stereotypes that continue to do all women major harm . . . especially when it's couched in such as way as to be dismissive of a valid issue.

@Raindrop: I think the policy behind maternity leave is that it's beneficial for the child to have uninterrupted time with Mom/Dad (in the case of parental leave). It's also partly so that mothers can recover, but I bet if you look back at the history of leave laws/policies, you'll find that people were mostly concerned about the babies, not the mothers. So extending that type of leave to people without babies would be inconsistent with the underlying purpose. I could be wrong. I haven't studied this area, but that would be my guess.

@Raindrop: I would frame it a little less cynically , but yes, I think it's a recognition that babies are particularly vulnerable members of society, and they have unique needs. We have laws allowing special accommodations for people to care for other vulnerable members of society, so maternity leave isn't really unique, but I'd guess it's more prevalent.

The maternity leave vs me-ternity leave aside, I really didn't like how she said a few times that WOMEN would need it more than men.

@DillonLion: I agree. I think it's kinda dumb to compare mat leave to a sabbatical. But it didn't make me ragey. Judging from comments I read here first, I thought she'd legit said things like maternity moms are lazy and just eat bonbons and relax all day. I didn't get that from this article. She just made a poor comparison.

I understand the concept of a sabbatical, and I think it is awesome that she was able to afford to take one and figure herself out...
HOWEVER- maternity leave is not a great way for women to "figure themselves out". Needing three months of time to recover from a medical procedure and ensure a newborn is thriving at life is NOT the same as wanting to drink margaritas. Is the author also jealous of people who take FMLA leave to get cancer treatment? It is just not a vacation. It's also pretty crazy that she thinks that women who have families are better at "putting themselves first". Um. No. Actually, working parents have two full-time careers. Leaving at 6 to pick up your kid is the same as leaving at 6 to go work your other job. You can get a drink with friends even if you leave the office at 8:30- parents are in the middle of bedtime. I'm not criticizing her choice not to have kids... but motherhood is not a blissful time of self-actualization.

OK, I think a lot of people are burning out at work and the idea of taking a break from one's job is sound, if you can swing it and not end up fired or broke.

But calling it me-ternity leave is just... off. I think it goes without saying that maternity leave is not a vacation. And people who don't have small children may not realize that parents are "skipping" out of work at six because they're working at least two jobs, and will be for the rest of their life.

I guess the name is just a gimmick to sell the book, but I hate to think that it contributes to how little parenting is valued in our society. Never mind that it sounds like "eternity leave," which just makes my mind go in a completely different direction

And for what it's worth, in my office everyone that needed a long leave/a stretch of working from home was treated equally. If they had a baby, they got it, or if they were very sick, or even if they moved away but were able to keep working remotely. I love that the management has done that for people, and it creates a very good atmosphere. I wish more businesses were like that.