A council has been accused of "writing out women" after removing the word "mother" from its pregnancy and maternity leave policy in order to be more inclusive.
Somerset Council has replaced the phrase "new and expectant mothers" with "new and expectant parents".
Its HR committee announced that it was changed to be "inclusive to all employees who are pregnant, have given birth in the last 6 months, and those breastfeeding, including transgender or non-binary people".
The move has been blasted by feminist campaigners as only biological women being able to give birth and breastfeed.
The move has been blasted by feminist campaigners as only biological women being able to give birth and breastfeed
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The New and Expected Parents Policy outlines the council's responsibilities to new mothers and includes the word "parent" 16 times while "mother" is not mentioned at all.
In one example, the policy now states it is the council's duty to "provide a place for pregnant and breastfeeding parents to rest or where practicable provide a private room for nursing parents to express and store breast milk".
The new scheme has received backlash from many women's rights groups.
"Replacing the word ''mother'' with ''parent'' is not neutral. It changes the scope of the policy to include men," Claire Loneragan, from the Women's Rights Network campaign group told the Daily Mail.
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"But men – whether new parents or not – will never need the 'place for pregnant and breastfeeding parents to rest' that Somerset County Council will provide.
"It is not inclusive to remove the words mother and woman from a policy that relates entirely to pregnancy, breastfeeding and the challenges that new and expectant mothers face. It writes women out of our own life experiences."
Milli Hill, a writer and founder of the Positive Birth Movement, unveiled Somerset Council's decision on her blog.
She wrote: "The policy ONLY covers pregnancy and maternity leave, it is not for anyone but women. How it is inclusive to erase the word 'mother' from this policy completely."
The New and Expected Parents Policy outlines the council's responsibilities to new mothers and includes the word 'parent' 16 times while 'mother' is not mentioned at all
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A Somerset Council spokesperson said: "Somerset Council is an inclusive organisation.
"The move to gender neutral language in our policies highlights our commitment to inclusivity.
"It does not exclude women; it simply ensures that no staff, for whom this and other policies may be applicable, are excluded."
