Maternity leave affects promotions

Women who take maternity leave are less likely to be promoted in Australia's public service than those without children, according to government research that feminists said yesterday was further evidence that motherhood harms careers.

The Australian Public Service Commission, a government agency that monitors the workings of the nation's bureaucracy, revealed the research in a submission to an inquiry into paid maternity leave in Australia.

The commission found that 65 percent of women who returned to public service after taking maternity leave in 2001 had not been promoted by last year.