purely out of interest, sparked by watching a program just now on surrogacy.

if the surrogate mother has a regular job, which offers maternity leave (which, from what i understand is paid leave?), and is also being given money by the eventual parents, do the same maternity leave rules etc apply?

just wondering, as it seems that in some cases (and i realise not necessarily all cases), women may have some financial motive to become a surrogate mother. if so, does she also get all the maternity money too?

taking a break from a job, while getting paid, in order to get more money.

?

🙂
just wondering how it works, not a comment on the ethics etc.

Yes – she is pregnant she gets mat leave. It is not a means tested benefit

i see.
she gets money for being off work, and for carrying the child.

yes but is no where near as much as the OP thinks and will be less than her actual pay after 6 weeks.

so full pay for 6 weeks, and then a percentage of that there after (what sort of %?)? and how long is maternity leave?
one woman was getting £20k for having the kid.

statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance are both generally a little over £100 pw

But some employers pay 9 months at regular salary rates 🙂

And the woman who adopts the child is also eligible for full maternity pay too.

My wife is a teacher, and the maternity pay is pretty poor

‘And the woman who adopts the child is also eligible for full maternity pay too. ‘

maternity or paternity? (afaik maternity is pre-birth, paternity is post? i could be wrong…)

if so, er, why? (i can fully understand paternity btw!)

err, no.
maternity = mother
paternity = father

don’t kids learn any latin these days? tsk

well, i was half thinking that, but i wasn’t sure…
was taught latin about 10 yrs ago, for a year.
🙂

What’s your point? She should drop it at her desk ’cause she’s giving it away?

maybe just that the 9 months maternity isn’t needed?

it’s an interesting point, might have a look tomorrow in work to see if the law takes account of it

Surely surrogacy! for money is a business, I don’t know. Surely it can’t sit well with employers when a member of staff is a surrogate mother with a financial contract outside of her main job.

Surrogacy for money is illegal… the surrogate is only allowed to be paid reasonable expenses, but quite how you define that is anyones business though…

Surely you can only claim ‘Maternity Pay’ if you have a baby, given also thataternity pay continues for the original period if the child dies at birth or within the first 9 months.

If that is so then when the surrogate mother gives the baby to the mother who has ‘sponsored’ it then surely her right to maternity pay ends.

Also, as the sponsoring mother is not adopting the child she cannot claim maternity pay!

Yes or No??

Maternity leave is not just about baby care. The surrogate will have to get body tone back (tendons and ligaments softened by hormones need care to avoid problems caused by work biting the employer), the sponsor is adopting and is also entitled to the babycare element of leave.

Sandwich;

Technically the sponsor is not adopting as the child has not been put up for adoption via an adoption agency.

The increase in paid maternity leave was about ,quality time, with the child before being forced back to work.

It’s £123 a week. I really doubt anyone would go through surrogacy just to get that!

I wouldn’t go through pregnancy and childbirth again even for a million pounds.

Were these surrogates in employment HM? I didn’t see the programme, just a trailer, I would be surprised if someone ‘addicted’ to being pregnant as it was suggested these women were, would be ‘stable’ enough to be in gainful employment.

£123 is the stat meternity pay, I think my employers pay full pay for 22 weeks and then a decent percentage for the rest of the first 9 months. You also accrue holiday while on mat leave so thats another month of full pay

I’ve never worked anywhere who gave more that statutory pay.

Personally dont think I’d risk death, disfigurement and masses of pain to give someone else a child. Though I am male, the whole situation seems very odd to me.