This woman gave birth five days ago.

Keeper of the Seals and Minister of Justice, Rachida Dati leaves the first Cabinet meeting of the year at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday.

Say hello to French Justice Minister Rachida Dati. She is 43 years old, gave birth to her daughter Zohra five days ago via caesarean and on the same day she left the hospital with her baby, she put on this outfit and went back to work to attend a cabinet meeting.

According to reports:

"Pregnancy is not an illness," said Georges-Fabrice Blum, the
vice president of the French gynecologists' association, and there
are no ill effects from a quick return to work.

But woman's groups in France disagreed.

"This is scandalous," said Maya Sturduts from the National
Collective for the Rights of Women.

"Employers can now use this to put pressure on women", she said,
especially during the current tough economic times when employers
may be looking for excuses to cut staff.

Women in France are guaranteed by law 16 weeks of paid maternity
leave, of which 10 weeks are usually taken after the baby's
birth.

But the French labour code does not apply to ministers like
Dati.

Woman's rights activist Florence Montreynaud, a mother of four,
said she was "shocked" by Dati's decision to go back to work so
quickly and stressed that women do need to rest after delivery.

The European Commission has recommended that maternity leave be
extended to 18 weeks, saying it would help families in Europe
better organise their new lives with a baby.

Three French women ministers have had babies on the job before,
including Sarkozy's defeated rival for the presidency Segolene
Royal, when she was environment minister in the 1990s.

Recently, Spain's defence minister Carme Chacon took six week's
leave after giving birth to her first child, a boy named
Miquel. Dati, who is single, has kept the father's identity under wraps,
telling reporters she had "a complicated private life" and sparking
an intense guessing game in the French press.

President Nicolas Sarkozy paid a warm tribute to the "young
mother" Dati during the cabinet meeting.

"Rachida has always said that to be a mother was the greatest of
happinesses, but at the same time that she had important duties
that she would continue to fulfil," government spokesman Luc Chatel
told reporters.

I take several things away from this story. Like the fact that Sarkozy refers to a 43-year-old woman as a 'young mother' proves that European men seem to value older women as being sexy and not past it once they reach 25. I also take away a sense of sadness for both the mother and the baby that they weren't able to cherish the post birth bubble before she pulled on those stockings and shoe-horned herself into a pencil skirt and heels (note strategically placed folder but still, this really is the French equivalent of leaving hospital in a pair of teeny tiny jeans).

But mostly? I am outraged. Outraged that she is not wearing a bikini. Come on. It's been five whole days. How slack is that…..

Article filed under: in the news, motherhood , & published: Monday, January 12th, 2009.

KellieB says:

March 6, 2010 at 4:22 pm

If you look closely I think she is kind of smiling cos she knows there are cameras but the look definitely says “ouww, these pantyhose are hurting – too soon – I’m dumb – bastard boss who wanted this paper today!!”

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Petal says:

March 6, 2010 at 3:40 pm

How she managed to put stockings and a skirt on 5 days after a caesar is beyond me – I bet she ran straight home to those trackies.

JB says:

January 13, 2009 at 10:56 pm

I am not outraged by this woman’s decision to go back to work, that is her choice. The fact that she looks fantastic is great.
I am, however, concerned on the child’s behalf. I fail to understand why women feel that it is all about them, and what is in their best interest, after giving birth. There is a very small, innocent person that is given NO choice and it is assumed that is what is best for the mother automatically is best for the baby. I agree that there are many different ways to handle motherhood, I just think that more thought should go into the what is in the best interests of the child. I seriously question that it is in the best interests of this child for the mother to be back at work within this time frame.

Peta says:

January 13, 2009 at 3:36 pm

I’m a little bit outraged by “There are no ill effects by a quick return to work.” Maybe not physically (all though I also doubt that) But what about emotionally and mentally. Not to mention the baby will have been left with someone who is totally unfamiliar at 5 days old. I went back to work when my son was 4 months old, had to pay the mortgage & all that, I was at the time the main breadwinner in the household and I paid very dearly for that and so did my son. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t bite you on the bum later. The worst thing about this is that the media attention surrounding it will put pressure on women.

Makaleka says:

January 13, 2009 at 9:14 am

Well, either that’s a carefully posed photo, and she couldn’t stand up straight anyway, or French doctors have developed a marvellous new method of performing a caesarean – nothing stitched (lasers?) and nothing to heal.
Or else, the woman’s an idiot.

Ali J says:

January 12, 2009 at 4:40 pm

Hmmm …. ‘young mother’ … hate to burst the bubble, but in French that really means ‘new mother’ (I speak as a professional translator), it is not referring to her age. To say ‘woman’, you always add ‘jeune’ (young) before it, it just sounds more polite (goes back to the old term for prostitutes, ‘filles’ (‘girls’) so ‘jeune fille’ sounds nicer). The French language makes a lot of things sound nicer; it doesn’t mean their attitudes are more sophisticated at all. In fact, French women are under enormous pressure to conform to an impossible physical ideal. Their media is even more intense than ours, if that is possible.
Agree with all the comments that it is a scary thing to see someone 5 days post-caesar strutting around in high heels – maybe she is still on opiates and that explains why she looks so happy with herself?
Also think that this does not help the cause of women getting a better deal after having babies … At least they have some maternity leave in France, but not that much.
But let’s not get deluded here … this lady is from the French version of the Liberal Party. Sarkozy is a young John Howard. Just because he has a glammy wife and someone from North African background (Racida) in his parliament, it doesn’t mean he’s progressive …
Put it this way, she’s not MY role model …

Rosie says:

January 12, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Cath said it all for me.

Lu says:

January 12, 2009 at 3:43 pm

Good for her if thats what she wants to do. But that is the whole point. Once you have a baby its not all about you any more – there is a baby who has needs too. Thats why there are laws in place for most people. To make sure they leave work a certain amount of time before their baby is due and stay home for a certain period of time after its birth.

Nicole says:

January 12, 2009 at 3:22 pm

Umm what about the 16 weeks of paid maternity leave people! Australia REALLY needs to get with the program!

lesley says:

January 12, 2009 at 3:12 pm

Cath, couldn’t agree with you more! I think we’ve got to stop making assumptions and judging and give women a break. If the French Justice Minister feels up to going back to work so soon after giving birth, good on her. It’s not up to me to start telling her how she should be behaving

DocWho says:

January 12, 2009 at 2:11 pm

I get the feeling that ‘young mother’ is actually supposed to mean ‘new mother’ – she is not young no matter how you look at it, 40 being the new 30 or whatever.
It certainly is possible to bounce back very quickly after a caesarean (I did so just 4 months ago) but I wonder if she knows just what she is missing out on? The early weeks with a newborn are so tough but so rewarding as well, particularly the first time your little baby looks at you and smiles, as if thinking ‘Aha! YOU’RE my mother! Lucky me!’
Rachida Dati will probably miss a lot of those little firsts, so I feel more pity for her than outrage at her choice of career first, baby second.

Coco says:

January 12, 2009 at 12:49 pm

When I had my first child about 10 years ago via caesarean I was in pain and walked like an old woman for about 3 weeks. When I had my 2nd child via caesarean again 3 years ago, I could walk properly within days. These pain killers are improving over the years.
I don’t know why women are asking for more choices yet they’re so judgemental of others’ choices. If she feels she’s fit enough to return to work, it’s her choice. What’s wrong with her smiling in the photo? How do we know that she’s not missing her baby terribly and miserably behind those smiles?

Isabella too says:

January 12, 2009 at 12:45 pm

I must admit when I first saw this article my instant reaction was ‘holy crap! how is she doing this?’. And by the ‘how’ I mean the post operation walking, the wearing of stilettos, the juggling no sleep/using her brain etc etc!! Because I think the ‘why is she doing this’ is something that only she can answer but it’s pretty obvious to the outside observer that her job is not one that she thinks she can take time off from. I’m with Cath on this one – we don’t know what is happening day to day. Look, I’m going to make an assumption – from reading an article about Rachida – that it doesn’t sound like it was a planned pregnancy. So she’s had the baby and is, like all of us, just making choices based on doing what she thinks is right for her and her child. Whether it is or not, whether we agree with it or not, it’s her call.

January 12, 2009 at 12:34 pm

I wasnt even allowed to drive my car for 2 weeks after having my caesers and some of my friends have had to wait 4 wks – Drs orders ! After my first caeser I was in hospital for 7 days because that was the standard stay then. And I remember leaving hospital with my slippers on because my feet were so swollen I couldnt wear shoes. How on earth then can it be OK for her to help run a country ?
That aside, I think the question that should be asked is why on earth did she have a child if she clearly only did so to get it off her ‘must do before 45 list’. To do the job of surrogate mother – give birth and then pay others to do the mothering from day 5 – isnt fair on anyone. I call this a parenting disaster story.

Angela says:

January 12, 2009 at 12:06 pm

One word – drugs!
The woman has had her abdomen sliced open and a human removed. That hurts. As my physio told me after a caesar (I was arguing that it was not possible to not carry a basket of washing for 1 week let alone 6), “You have just had major surgery, you need to take it easy!” I did do the washing on day 5 but I was walking very slowly and not wearing high heels.

Cath says:

January 12, 2009 at 11:26 am

Maybe she’s going straight home to change into a bikini, which she’ll then wear whilst eating a hearty french meal and drinking some wine. After this, she’ll have sex. If this is not the case, I doubt her authenticity as a frenchwoman – after all, ‘french woman don’t get fat’, do they?
Seriously, though, this reminds me of when Cate Blanchett attended the thingy-thingy summit shortly after giving birth, (looking fabulous, of course), and people were very critical of her choice to attend. I don’t know if I would have attended, but then again, (probably due to some bureaucratic bungling), I wasn’t invited to attend the summit. I know! I was shocked KRudd didn’t invite me, too. My point being, if there was something important to me that I was invited to – I’d shower, hop off the delivery bed, and be there, knowing there’d be time for rest eventually, and that I’d take that time after the event.
I think regardless of a woman’s race, or culture, we need to respect every woman’s right to make the decisions that suit them in the days, weeks, months, and year post birth, without making anyone feel as though she’s ‘let the sisterhood down’ by making that choice.
I don’t get why people, and I have to say, it seems to be mostly women, are so judgemental about this. Is it because those women seem to ‘have it all’? Or is it because they make us feel like we’re not ‘coping’ as well? For all we know, Cate Blanchett bathed in SKII for hours, then trussed herself up in ‘Spanx’ before attending the summit. She probably got home and collapsed in a heap – maybe she even cried, which is no different to what any woman who comes home and has to deal with other little kids and a house at the end of the day (post birth or not), would do. Going to a summit, and even attending a sitting of Parliament, is probably a piece of cake compared to what many women have to do post baby.
We have a tiny insight into these women’s lives, gleaned via one or two photos. We don’t know that Rachida Dati won’t spend every non-working minute of her day resting, and bonding with her baby. Expecting women to present and behave a certain way post pregnancy, (so everyone else will feel better about their own lives), seems just a little bit sexist, actually. I think we need to think a bit more broadly than that if we want to progress as a society. There are a million different ways to do motherhood, most of them work. Who are we to say who’s way is best?

Jaz says:

January 12, 2009 at 11:24 am

I find this daunting lol 5 days after giving birth? I mean..maybe she just had a REALLY easy pregnancy and birth. We cant judge her, but I am a bit concerned.
She looks good though! I like french women, they always seem so happy and full of life.

Judy says:

January 12, 2009 at 11:05 am

I like that Nicolas Sarkozy refers to Raschida as a “young mother” too, & I tend to agree about the French appreciation of elegant mature women.
Most people probably couldn’t cope with a return to work in the public domain so soon after a C section (don’t know for myself, not having had one) but my guess is that if she didn’t feel up to it, she wouldn’t have. She probably has a nanny to help with the little one, and maybe also doesn’t work full hours. I do agree she is quite amazing if she doesn’t feel very tired and frazzled. But good luck to her. No, you can’t really see her tummy, but everything else is soooo attractive, and extremely French. She’s lovely. Beauty AND brains, obviously.

Lulu says:

January 12, 2009 at 11:02 am

“”Pregnancy is not an illness,” said Georges-Fabrice Blum, the vice president of the French gynecologists’ association”
But a caesarean is surgery, ferchrissakes. And if he doesn’t know that, he’s in the wrong job.

Amy Sheaves says:

January 12, 2009 at 10:55 am

Oh, Mia you are so funny!
C’mon what’s going on with the sisterhood? We should be sticking together, not competing by making outlandish statements with teeny white jeans, bikini’s and now portfolios. I’m afraid the next thing we are going to hear about is some chick celebrity giving an interview, or handing out fashion tips while simultaneously giving birth!
All jokes aside, it is seriously sad to read this article. I don’t care how much I get slandered for this comment, but a baby needs mum for at least the first 6-9 months.
Rachida Dati, I’m sure has the means to be with her baby. I can’t imagine not wanting to provide the very best emotional foundation for your child. I feel so sad for this child. I just don’t get it?…we seem to treasure careers and $$ above flesh and blood.

Julia-Maree says:

January 12, 2009 at 10:52 am

OMG how is this woman smiling? After my caesar I could hardly move for three weeks let alone get dressed and go out (and heaven forbid go to work!) She must be a very quick healer and have a marvellous support system and be a touch mad I feel.

Maggs says:

January 12, 2009 at 9:16 am

Goodness me, I would be still at home crying from the lack of sleep and raging hormones.

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