Yahoo boss will only take 'limited' maternity leave for twins
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo will work 'throughout' her pregnancy
The boss of Yahoo has announced she'll only take "limited" maternity leave when she gives birth to her twins in December. Marissa Mayer, the CEO of search engine giant Yahoo, says she'll approach the birth of her identical twin girls in the same way she did the birth of her son – which would mean just two weeks maternity leave.
When her son Macalister Bogue was born in 2012, Marissa built a nursery in her office so she could keep working, and this time she plans to do the same. "Since my pregnancy has been healthy and uncomplicated and since this is a unique time in Yahoo’s transformation, I plan to approach the pregnancy and delivery as I did with my son three years ago, taking limited time away and working throughout," she said, making the announcement on her Tumblr blog.
The 40-year-old who's married to venture capitalist Zack Bogue, added that news of twins came as a surprise. "The twins part was quite a surprise, because I have no family history of twins or any other predisposing factors. However, as I’ve now learned, identical twins occur by random chance in roughly 1 out of approximately every 300 pregnancies. Zack and I have embraced the surprise and are very excited about these new additions to our family.
"Moving forward, there will be a lot to do for both my family and for Yahoo; both will require hard work and thoughtful prioritisation. However, I’m extremely energised by and dedicated to both my family and Yahoo and will do all that is necessary and more to help both thrive. The future looks extremely bright on both fronts."
In a corporate world dominated by men, Marissa is one of the world's most prominent female role models. And when she returned to work just two weeks after having her son in 2012, she attracted criticism. At the time, Kristina Schröder, German family minister said: "I respect this personal step being taken by Ms. Mayer. But I regard it with major concern when prominent women give the public impression that maternity leave is something that is not important. Maternity leave is absolutely important and not just from a medical point of view."
Last month one of Britain's most senior boardroom executives, Laura Wade-Gery, head of multi-channel at Marks & Spencer announced she'll take just four months maternity leave when she gives birth to her first child at the end of this year. News of the 50-year-old first-time mum's maternity leave had to be announced to the stock exchange under rules that govern executives taking extended leave.
Do you think women in high-powered jobs should take more or less maternity leave? Let us know in the comments below.
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