Jo Swinson: inspiring working parents everywhere!

Jo Swinson made the headlines last week – not just for what she said or stood for, but also for what she did: taking her child into Parliament.

Like a growing number of new parents, Jo is currently balancing her career with caring for her new young son. As many parents can attest to, the balancing act is certainly no easy feat and one which requires careful planning and often a great amount of flexibility from both the employer and employee.

It’s therefore incredibly inspiring to see a traditional institution such as the House of Commons make a very public statement for working parents everywhere. Jo’s appearance in the chamber was the first time a baby had been present during a Commons debate and sent a message that combining work with responsibilities at home is possible.

The East Dunbartonshire MP said: "I think it's a step forward for modernising parliament and for sending a message that it really needs to be possible for parents to be able to combine their responsibilities for their children with their working lives, and all too often that is made too difficult.

"That won't always mean taking your child to work, but in the case of very small babies, for people who are working at that stage then that can be just one of the ways in which workplaces can modernise and there could be flexibility in order to make it possible."

Kudos, Ms Swinson! From working parents everywhere – ‘thank you!’