The birth rate is declining in most places in the world for a number of reasons, and many would argue that one of these is because although most people need to work full-time to even consider starting a family, having kids and having a job just doesn’t seem to mix. Committing to whatever deposits that salary in your bank account and making sure you are a present parent can feel like a near-impossible balance for anybody who has to attempt the two.

It is fair to say that when it comes to many employers, sympathetic bosses are few and far between (even when they happen to be parents themselves). When an employee makes it clear that they have a commitment to their family that may interfere with what a manager or a company wants, they can be made to suffer. It isn’t fair, but it is often the way that the system works.