2 Sep 2015

Yahoo boss to take no maternity leave

Economics Correspondent

Marissa Mayer announced her pregnancy in a blog post, along with her plans to take “limited time away” from the office and that she will be “working throughout” that leave.

She’s one of America’s most powerful female executives.

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer is set to prove that the fact she’s expecting twins won’t stand in her way. In a blog post announcing her latest pregnancy, Mayer said she planned to “work throughout”, only taking “limited time away” from her role.

This is the second time she has sparked debate regarding the appropriate amount of time tech workers should be expected to take off as they adjust to life as parents. She took just two weeks off after giving birth to her son Macallister in 2012, a move that was criticised by many as being “unrealistic” for most working mothers.

Despite her decision not to take much time away from Yahoo herself, she did extend the company’s parental leave policy in 2013 to give mothers up to 16 weeks off.

So is she forging the way for successful working mothers, or setting a really bad – not to mention exhausting – example? Our business correspondent Helia Ebrahimi reports.