A parental rights campaigner has said being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) is “important recognition” of the struggles faced by working families.
Joeli Brearley, who founded Pregnant Then Screwed, said she was “really surprised” but “delighted” to be included in the New Year Honours list.
The charity campaigns for improved maternity rights, better parental leave, and support for working parents, especially women, facing challenges such as workplace discrimination.
“And I think that people don’t really understand how much working families are in need of support right now.
“It’s particularly gratifying that those words are in there because working families are really struggling, really struggling right now, particularly those with young children.
“The childcare crisis, the issues of parental leave, low-paid work, there’s just so many problems.
Ms Brearley, who is stepping down as the head of Pregnant Then Screwed after 10 years in the role, said she hopes the recognition will help attract “desperately needed” funding.
She highlighted key achievements, including changes to flexible working laws, improved redundancy protection for pregnant women and new mothers, and influencing billions of pounds in childcare investment.
The Government has introduced the Employment Rights Bill, aiming to enhance worker protections and modernise employment laws.
Ms Brearley added: “What we really need to see is, when they say they want to make flexible working the default, that they really mean that, and they really think about the legislative change that makes flexible working the default.
“At the moment, they’re saying they’re doing a review of parental leave; we want to be absolutely sure that that review is thorough and it looks at the specific challenges that parents are experiencing.”
