Thank you for the great article on women in construction, and for drawing attention to the issue of maternity pay again.

I was extremely pleased to receive the highly commended award for work on maternity pay at Bovis Lend Lease, but I was a bit surprised at the reaction of the diners at the Building Awards dinner, which you aptly describe in the article as “juvenile sniggering”. It highlighted to me just how far ahead of the rest of the industry Bovis Lend Lease is in its treatment of staff, and in particular women.

On a positive note, the award generated interest in maternity pay and I have sent a copy of my cost benefit paper to both Arup and Buildign Design Partnership. I am hoping that consultants will follow the example of contractors and offer full pay for women on maternity leave.

Megan Walters, Bovis Lend Lease

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