On September 1st, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer shared exciting personal news: She and her husband are expecting twin girls around December. Should be celebration for a happy occasion, right?
However, in that same announcement, she discussed her sentiments about what she wanted to do regarding maternity leave during her pregnancy: “I plan to approach the pregnancy and delivery as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout.”
Obviously, Mayer’s decision came with opinions all over the spectrum, especially since so many women are fighting for things like paid maternal leave and greater work flexibility as new parents. On one hand, some supporters say that Mayer (and other profile professionals, like Mark Zuckerberg) should be left alone to do what’s best for their families. On the other hand, critics feel like there’s an important lesson to be learned here, where CEOs lead by example by taking the maximum maternal or paternal leave time off for parenting. Or, as Kristen Bellstrom pointed out, CEOs should at least reassure employees that they will not be judged for taking more personal time when there’s a new addition to the family.
Where do you fall on this side of the debate? Should Marissa Mayer be leading by example, or should she be able to do as she pleases?
Cover image courtesy of iDownload Blog.
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