New Yahoo CEO

NicoleWI

Has this been posted? She's 37 and expecting her first baby. Very cool that she could get her position as a pregnant woman--would never have happened years ago. On the other hand, she "plans to work through her 3 week maternity leave." That sounds like pure hell.

jf198400

I personally don't understand how the success can be worth it, when its at the expense of your family.  3 weeks of ML, thats just insane.

Mrs.RockyM

Sure, when I have a full time nurse for me, a baby nurse, a housekeeper and multple assistants, you can make a lot more of your time! 

NicoleWI

Not worth it for me, either, but it's cool she can get this if she wants it.

On the other hand, it reinforces the crazy US maternity leave policies (as compared to many other countries). I hate the idea that people will nod their heads and say, "oh, good, yes, she can do this because she will be hardly taking any leave," as if, as someone posted earlier, maternity leave is just a little vacation. It's inhuman to work through three weeks of leave!!

jlaOK

NicoleWI:

Not worth it for me, either, but it's cool she can get this if she wants it.

On the other hand, it reinforces the crazy US maternity leave policies (as compared to many other countries). I hate the idea that people will nod their heads and say, "oh, good, yes, she can do this because she will be hardly taking any leave," as if, as someone posted earlier, maternity leave is just a little vacation. It's inhuman to work through three weeks of leave!!

I agree with this. I would so rather people/companies be highlighted who have great maternity leave policies, and dare I even say, some company paid maternity leave. The idea that women should feel guilty for taking time off after having a baby is absurd.

vsalt31

I say good for her! But I feel like a total sumck compared to her!!!

DelBride2012

While I also wish she would have taken saner maternity leave, I am so glad she is blazing this particular trail. 

jetgrrrl

Good for her but I agree with PPs, it highlights the insanity with which the US approaches women having babies in the workplace. Three weeks is more like paternity leave. And she plans to "work through" that? I couldn't even tell you my own name after three weeks. I suppose she'll have a night nurse and such and maybe she won't bf, but it's really a shame that a saner arrangement can't be worked out for everyone - the baby most of all.

DelBride2012

Well, to be fair, I plan on taking a 4-day maternity leave (over Thanksgiving weekend) and working throughout it too. And like Marissa Mayer, I am a FTM and have no idea what I'm in for.

KathrynMD

DelBride2012:

Well, to be fair, I plan on taking a 4-day maternity leave (over Thanksgiving weekend) and working throughout it too. And like Marissa Mayer, I am a FTM and have no idea what I'm in for.

why are you taking such a short ML?  Do we have a CEO of a Fortune 500 company in our midst?

Amy&Anthony

"I personally don't understand how the success can be worth it, when its at the expense of your family.  3 weeks of ML, thats just insane."

I think that is an incredibly unfair statement. Who's to say this is at the expense of her family. I will be working through my three week maternity leavfe. not because i want to but because I have to; otherwise six months of work is down the drain. Like her i will be working remotely and I will have help.

this is an amazing opportunity for her, I hope she kicks major butt at it and shows what working mothers can really accomplish.

DelBride2012

KathrynMD:

DelBride2012:

Well, to be fair, I plan on taking a 4-day maternity leave (over Thanksgiving weekend) and working throughout it too. And like Marissa Mayer, I am a FTM and have no idea what I'm in for.

why are you taking such a short ML?  Do we have a CEO of a Fortune 500 company in our midst?

Haha sorry, I was being facetious. If I can go back to work part time (physically and emotionally) after a few days, I sure will! I was just alluding to the fact that it's easy to be ambitious in the hypothetical. 

lvnbraves

I read an article about this as well and for me it simply reinforces that we (people of my generation) we sold a bunch of bs.  You can't have it all and do it all well.  Something suffers - hopefully not significantly, but it suffers.

I work full time and am a first time mom.  I already regret only taking 8 weeks of maternity leave and I worked through part of that because LO was in the NICU and there was a computer...sometimes i wasn't able to hold him, so what else to do?

I hope that she surrounds herself with very competent people so she can achieve what she wants.  I wasn't prepared for the physical toll of a relatively easy labor & deliver, a level 2 tear and as my doc described it "one LONG stitch".  It was still several days before I could sit comfortably, riding in a car was uncomfortable, etc.

While I think it's great for her, I do wonder what message that sends to companies.  If she can do it, 3 week leaves for everyone?  

dragon_chica

Let's wait until she has the baby.  She may be singing a different tune.  Or, maybe she'll have a painless delivery, wonderful recovery, and back at work one week, tops.

duchess0727

First of all, I think it's amazing that she got the job as a 37-year old woman - that in and of itself is huge.  I don't even think her maternity leave is anyone's business and that anyone should judge or try to equate her to the rest of the world.  I think we should all just see it as an example of the fact that this world is recognizing people for their contribution and not making decisions based on the implication that women with families can't contribute the same way those without can't.  The CEO of a company like Yahoo can't take off 8 weeks - that being said, if she has a good management team and good support, I'm sure she can find time to spend with the baby.  And in any case, that is her life and I'm sure she will deal with it.  In the mean time, I think she deserves huge credit just for landing the job - mostly because she is so young and not because she is pregnant.

rodiesmum

amy052006:

It's a great story in theory, but totally reinforces the idea that maternity leave is this non-necessary vacation of sorts.  

Great for her -- she is going to have every resource at her disposal to make it work.  I'll be more impressed when I see how that applies to her pregnant employees. 

this

rodiesmum

jlaOK:

NicoleWI:

Not worth it for me, either, but it's cool she can get this if she wants it.

On the other hand, it reinforces the crazy US maternity leave policies (as compared to many other countries). I hate the idea that people will nod their heads and say, "oh, good, yes, she can do this because she will be hardly taking any leave," as if, as someone posted earlier, maternity leave is just a little vacation. It's inhuman to work through three weeks of leave!!

I agree with this. I would so rather people/companies be highlighted who have great maternity leave policies, and dare I even say, some company paid maternity leave. The idea that women should feel guilty for taking time off after having a baby is absurd.

another amen to the highlighted portion. a trusted officemate once told me that one of the factors i didnt get a promotion the past year because i took an ML. as if its a paid thing hello.