Dati back at work and causing more firestorms

French Justice Minister, Rachida Dati has returned to work 5 days after having a caesarean section and giving birth to her first daughter...

And the 'French feminists' (sure, blame the femmos) are enraged and Dati for setting a poor example. French women are entitled to 16 weeks paid maternity leave.

"This is scandalous," said Maya Sturduts from the National Collective for the Rights of Women.

"Employers can now use this to put pressure on women", she said, especially during the current tough economic times when employers may be looking for excuses to cut staff.

Others are claiming that Dati 'had' to return to work, lest she lose her place in male-dominated political circles.

Not sure how I feel. Pregnancy is not an illness. Women shouldn't be judged for returning to work quickly. On the other hand, it would be so sad to think that this women, upon the joyous birth of her first child, felt she would lose her credibility as a politician if she took the maternity leave she is legally entitled to take.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/8mnhax

Who's her baby daddy? Who cares!

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