Living Lux With Meredith
Region: AU
Tuesday 14 July 2026 04:00:32 GMT
83465
2998
827
144
Music
Download
Comments
GABBY :
I hope I get some sort of support when I have to take care of my family members (which I do). Workplaces already provide leniency giving leave priority to those with kids or letting them have more flexibility than those with no kids.
2026-07-29 01:32:07
0
Jules :
Child free by choice 🙋🏻♀️I’m happy for parents to receive these benefits - but I’d hope my work place would be as flexible and understanding with me when caring for my parents, friends and pets.
2026-07-14 04:45:42
1125
blurryinreallifee :
Having children is a choice. That should be built into your work decisions. I don’t believe parents should get extra PAID time off work. I think works should give parents more flexibility.
2026-07-14 09:10:39
234
MELC9791 :
I would be happy for parents to get extra leave if in exchange I got equivalent additional wages for those times when I had to cover an extra workload for their leave, appointments and sometimes in attentiveness due to their family commitments.
2026-07-14 04:49:03
374
Lil L :
Equality and equity are different
2026-07-14 09:34:19
389
Sophie Audrey :
I completely understand the business side around staffing at end of year. But, not every workplace benefit has to apply equally to every person. Maternity leave doesn’t. Bereavement leave doesn’t. Disability support doesn’t. Even sick leave doesn't. Choosing not to have children is completely valid, but supporting parents means supporting the next generation. Countries like Sweden and Finland invest heavily in parental leave and childcare because children doing well benefits the whole community. Fairness is not everyone getting the same thing. It is people getting the support they genuinely need.
2026-07-14 08:15:43
78
Tia Milne :
People who don’t get these types of benefits always pick up the slack.
2026-07-14 11:10:29
238
Shaylah Black :
I’m with you 1000% I can understand the additional paid parental leave and all that, but not the additional two weeks of annual leave, that’s not fair
2026-07-14 04:28:42
128
Caitlyn :
I’m childfree by choice, trying to study a Masters degree while working full time. If I choose not to have kids, I wish I could at least access the additional leave to complete my studies in lieu of the maternity leave I’ll never take.
2026-07-14 11:57:38
71
citrinegirl333 :
As a child free woman, I’ve seen several young mums struggle because of the lack of leave. I’ve always valued them as coworkers, and I can see how their time is being stained and their work being seen as less than because of this. To me, it would be really nice to have these types of leave standardised so they aren’t driven out of full time work.
2026-07-14 04:53:09
108
hollsbolls77 :
I agree with you Meredith. I work in a uniquely majority female workplace, and this sense of inequality is felt heavily by those without kids. Maternity leave cannot be refused but annual leave can, and those without kids are often unable to go on leave for months (if not for over a year) because they are able to accomodate people on annual leave as well as maternity leave.additionally, my workplace involves exposure risks, and pregnant staff are not placed in spaces that carry violence or certain infectious risks - so the childfree staff are recurrently at a greater rate required to take those spaces instead. Further, flexible work arrangements and TIRA agreements are prioritised for parents, whilst those of us caring for parents, friends or pets are not offered the same work arrangements. It feels often that we are penalised for being childfree, or if not penalised, considered less important or less valuable because we don’t have children.
2026-07-14 10:24:06
36
Hod Pod :
Also as childless women we often end up being carers for other family members.
2026-07-14 07:46:22
147
brenciakoekemoer :
I agree with you, I feel everyone should get the same amount, kids or no kids.🌸
2026-07-14 04:10:37
58
MG :
Everyone should get this additional paid time. Whether you have kids or not.
2026-07-14 09:47:30
23
DeLorean :
I’m a child free female leader in a female dominated workforce. I’m also amidst bargaining a new enterprise agreement. From my perspective, this does 2 things… 1 being that it effectively remunerates parents more than non parents, and 2 it highlights that those without kids will be expected to work to cover that additional leave. There is already some perceived entitlement to leave over school holidays etc for those with kids, which is tough enough to balance with those without kids - let alone an additional 2 weeks. This is only my opinion, but this to me would feel a lot like… you are worth more as a parent, you deserve more as a parent. I’d leave a workplace over a EA condition like this. My choice not to have children shouldn’t mean I have less time with my family, doing the things that are important to me….so my colleagues can have more - purely on the basis of being a parent.
2026-07-14 21:27:17
31
Dylann :
Having children is 100% a choice.
2026-07-14 11:26:01
11
Alissa :
This actually made me a bit 🥲 Noone has ever raised this and being a single, childless woman, I still love attending my niece and nephews celebration days etc. which I would use these extra days off for. Thank you for raising this Meredith ❤️
2026-07-14 06:13:57
39
B 🍌 :
I agree. I’m childless not by choice, but always asked to cover or take leave outside of school holidays .. . But on the flip side my parent is dying and I can’t take time out even though I have leave. It’s a storm brewing. So it’s good none hand but not equitable.
2026-07-14 09:23:02
10
Fush n chup sloot :
On one hand I get it but on the other hand it doesn’t seem fair to have to work every Christmas, school holidays, crappier shifts.. ALL the time… I’m chronically ill (which I didn’t choose) which feeds into why I don’t have kids but I don’t get any more sick leave than anyone else..
2026-07-14 10:47:46
6
luca :
I mostly agree that things should be equal and fair for everyone, but I think saying “just because you have kids” misses the point. Parents do have extra responsibilities, so this isn’t about rewarding them for having children—it’s about recognising that they may need extra support to be on the same level as everyone else. That’s the difference between equality and equity. They’re not saying, “You get extra leave because having kids is hard,” they’re saying, “You may need extra support because your circumstances are different.” This is just my perspective as a young person without children but who may have them one day, and I see this as a form of equity that’s trying to give everyone an equal opportunity to work effectively.
2026-07-14 05:44:09
306
Rachael Jade :
Someone posted a comment on a different post about this policy saying that they should either offer the same extra leave to all or offer two week of extra pay to those who don’t get the extra leave. That seems fairer to me 🤷🏻♀️
2026-07-14 05:28:41
9
user :
Hang on.. Do people think parental leave is a holiday??
2026-07-14 11:36:58
147
Georgie Catherine :
Not everything is for everyone, and that’s simply part of life. I work in a workplace that provides additional leave entitlements to employees, including parents, people with cultural obligations, those experiencing grief, and people with mental health conditions. I’m sure there are leave provisions available to Michelle or Mark that I don’t receive, but that’s not my business. Different people have different circumstances, and not every entitlement applies equally to everyone.
2026-07-14 08:23:50
63
geedawg_ :
as a single childless 32 year old woman, what benefits every team member benefits all. being fair and being even are two very different things. staff need support for all different reasons, child care probably the most common, but thats because people have kids! its takes a village to raise a family, the village doesnt magically stop at the office door.
2026-07-14 09:34:22
58
Gabi :
10000% agree with you Meredith. As a business owner and a Mother, I also support the view of “what’s good for one is good for all”. Fair is fair
2026-07-14 04:14:04
38
To see more videos from user @livingluxwithmeredith, please go to the Tikwm
homepage.
