Hundreds of mums, dads, kids and well-wishers marched through Cardiff on Saturday morning calling for better support for childcare, paternity leave and flexible working. The annual 'March of the Mummies' took place nationwide and was well-supported in Cardiff.
The protesters had three demands - better, more affordable childcare, properly paid and balanced maternity and paternity leave, and flexible working as the default for all jobs. The Halloween-themed protest, organised by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, saw people arrive in Cardiff dressed as witches, zombies and pumpkins to make an emotive case for better support.
Mums spoke out about how they found themselves cast aside by their employers when they wanted to return from maternity leave, about how their husbands and partners had to take unpaid leave due to the lack of paternity pay, and about how they had to choose between working to pay for childcare, or quitting their jobs to take care of their kids.
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Sarah Rees, a volunteer for Pregnant Then Screwed, said: "People are talking about the cost of utility bills but for most parents, childcare is the biggest bill that they have. For most people, that’s higher than they pay for their rent or mortgage.
"It’s around £250 per week for one child and it’s impossible to work and balance your childcare. Lots of our speakers agree that we want better for our children, and at the current rate of change, our grandchildren will be standing here fighting the same fight."
The speakers also included Bethan Sayed, a former member of the Senedd who stepped down because she couldn't face trying to balance childcare and her work as a politician. She said: "I wanted to be one of those strong women who showed that we can make a difference but I also wanted to spend time with my new baby - otherwise I would’ve had to go for reselection within my party on the day I was giving birth!"
Statutory Maternity Pay in the UK is worth 90% of your weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks, but often drops off dramatically after that. For the remaining 33 weeks, it's paid at £156.66 per week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings - whichever is lower.
That means unless your weekly earnings are lower, you're being paid £5,148 for over seven months. Statutory paternity leave only extends for up to two weeks.
One speaker, Angharad Edwards, said this wasn't enough pay for what is effectively a "24/7 job." She pointed out: "I raised more money selling crochet on the Internet!"
The protest featured signs reading: "Flexible working isn't a cheat! Make it fair not trick or treat!" Another read: "How can we expect families to survive on £156.66 per week," and one said: "The future won't raise itself."
The protesters marched from the Aneurin Bevan statue down to Cardiff Central Library, where onlookers listened to the speeches. One of the speakers, Stacey Grant-Canham, a lecturer and founder of feminist fashion business Black & Beech, said: "The most subversive thing a woman can do is talk about her life as if it really matters.
"I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, an entrepreneur, an employee, and most importantly I am a mother.
"It is your right to feel angry. Let’s use our anger to come together and change the world.
"For me, having children has been one of the most politically radicalising decisions I’ve ever made. As an Irish woman who grew up in a society that did not enshrine reproductive choice, the choice alone to have children is political."
Shavanah Taj, from the Wales Trades Union Congress, said: "What we now need to be seeing from every government, whether that’s the Westminster government, the Scottish Government, or our government here in Wales, is that they understand the difficulties that are facing us.
"The lived experience of so many women is that they don’t just need flexibility from day one. They need to be paid equally to their male counterparts."
The march took place across the UK, including in London where mums gathered outside Downing Street, and at well-attended protests in Belfast, Leeds and Manchester.
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