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.
