LONDON - THE extension of paid maternity leave from nine to 12 months may be sabotaging British women's careers by making firms wary of employing them, the equalities watchdog head has warned.

Ms Nicola Brewer, chief executive of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in Britain, was yesterday set to call for a re-evaluation of the policy, saying that employers were thinking twice about offering jobs or promotions to women.

The Work and Families Act, which came into force in April last year, allows women to take a year off work after the birth of each child, and they will soon be paid for the entire period.

And while Ms Brewer said she welcomed the 'sea change on maternity leave and flexible work', she also told The Times of London that she wondered whether '...after winning all these gains - are we still on the right track?'

She said current laws in Britain, which allow men just two weeks of paternity leave, had unintentionally made 'women a less attractive prospect to employers'.

She told The Times that the Act 'has not freed parents and given them real choice'.

'It is based on assumptions, and some of the terms reinforce the traditional pattern of women as the carers of children,' she said.

Instead, 'we think that the focus should be on letting parents decide who takes parental leave after the first six months,' she told BBC Radio, according to Reuters.

Ms Brewer said calls to the commission's helpline - from women who had lost their jobs after becoming pregnant - suggested that they were paying a heavy price for their new rights.

Her concerns were underlined recently by entrepreneur Alan Sugar, who said many employers discarded the CVs of women of child-bearing age.

The promotion of a better work-life balance for mothers and fathers has been a central plank of New Labour policy.

But while business leaders have criticised the new maternity laws, saying they create a logistical nightmare for employers, The Times said this is the first time an organisation that campaigns on behalf of women has spoken against the laws.

The warning from the equalities watchdog comes as Singapore considers extending benefits for new parents. It currently provides three months' maternity leave and three days off for the woman's husband.

Singapore is considering ways to raise the fertility rate from the current 1.29 to the replacement rate of 2.1. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew hinted last week that it could be looking at the Swedish model.

Among other things, Swedish parents can take 13 months of paid leave, at least 60 days of which must be taken by the father. They also receive child allowances and have access to highly subsidised childcare.