A Barnsley businesswoman is leading the way in flexible working rights for childless women - but has found herself in a fiery debate.
Jane Robinson, 41, featured this week in a Daily Mail article which said childless women are working longer hours to cover for working mothers. It prompted more than 760 comments, some from angry mums.
The report said single childless women are bearing the brunt of the 'long hours' culture as they are the first to be asked to work late and struggle to get time off, for example, to care for an elderly relative.
Jane is cofounder and director of laser cutting and engraving firm Cutting Technologies based at Zenith Business Park in Whaley Road, Barugh Green.
A single woman without children, who has worked in male-dominated engineering companies for a decade, Jane said: "I was always the one asked to work late. Children seemed to be the trump card which aces everything else.
None of the things I might want to do could possibly be as important as being a parent." Jane has now been invited on to ITV breakfast show Daybreak to share her views.
When she started her own business ten years ago, Jane made a company policy allowing every one of her 32 staff the right to ask for flexible working, whatever their circumstances.
She said: "It's difficult in a small business and it does depend on what job people are doing. We can't grant every request but we work hard to judge every case on its own merits."
Jane said the legal obligation to hold women's jobs open when they were on maternity leave - whether they decided to come back to work or not - could also stop a small company growing. "It stops a business recruiting," she said.
She added: "I think childless women are a bit scared to speak out as it's perceived as speaking against mums. But it's not that at all - it's about the spirit of fairness for everyone."
