French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, known for her stylish outfits that have allegedly raised the ire of lawyers and judges, has given birth to a baby girl, Zohra. Dati, however, much like Minnie Driver in the US, has been at the centre of a media frenzy given her tight-lippedness about the identity of her baby's father.Some reporters have speculated Sarkozy's brother is the father and the child was registered under the name of her mother only in a private French clinic. While the British press has been trying to get the centre of this 'scandal', the French themsleves seem remarkably non-plussed about the situation and thankfully so. I find it interesting that no one has even considered that Dati, at the age of 43, might have had used an anonymous donor (although she couldn't have done so in France - French law allowed only couples to do so). It seems remarkable that people still worry about the 'father' as if powerful, clearly competent women were somehow rendered incapacitated without a man by their sides.
Nevertheless, the most interesting part of Dati pregnancy for me has been her urgency to return straight back to work. Not only did she book in for an elective caesarean, she is reportedly taking only one week of maternity leave in spite of the hefty 16 weeks offered to French women. She is clearly worried that her position is vulnerable given her 'complicated' personal life and some speculate that the birth of her first child is a golden opportunity for Sarkozy to get her out of the political spotlight.
Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5445131.ece
1 comment:
I was surprised that 16 weeks paid maternity leave was considered a lot. In Canada parents (this can be divided many ways) are allotted a year of parental leave and paid (I believe) 50% of their salary.
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