Paloma Faith: Mothers have to pretend they can do same as men AND stay up all night with a baby

The pop star gave birth to her first child in December 2016
'Double standard': Paloma Faith thinks that women have it harder than men
Alistair Foster13 March 2018
The Weekender

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Paloma Faith has hit out at the double standard faced by mothers, saying they have to work harder than men yet are still regarded as “weak” by some.

The singer, 36, had her first child in December 2016, with boyfriend Leyman Lahcine. She has kept the baby’s name and gender a secret.

She said: “Our whole social construct is geared towards a male template. If you’re a successful woman you have to pretend that you can do everything that a man can do — but also stay up all night with a baby.

"I think that’s really unfair because motherhood is viewed as a weakness, but it’s actually a strength. It makes you become so much more focused and efficient. I think women have to work harder than men.”

New mum: Paloma Faith at last month's Global Awards (PA Wire/PA Images)
PA

Last month it was reported that reality TV star Kylie Jenner had recruited a team of nannies to help care for her new daughter, Stormi.

Asked by the Standard if she had hired a nanny, Faith replied: “No.” The singer, who began a UK arena tour last week which comes to the O2 tomorrow, added: “The baby has got a cold at the moment so I’ve only had two hours’ sleep. I really could do with getting more sleep. I’m still at the stage where I’m trying to figure out the best way of getting the baby to be more independent.

“Childcare is ridiculously expensive. You need two nannies just in case one gets sick, so the cost ends up being extortionate. But life goes on!” Recent figures showed the average cost of childcare in London is £16,000 per year.

Faith also spoke about her success — which she put down in part to not being a diva. The singer’s fourth album, The Architect, reached number one in November.

Her first three all went double platinum. She said: “I try to be, and like to think, I’m a nice person to be around. I think sometimes in this industry, people might have medium success and forget that sometimes what might save them could be behind the scenes, whether they’re nice to be around.

“I’m no trouble—I’m not very demanding, despite what you might hear! The reason I’m still here is because I don’t ask for very much and I just want to get on with it. I’m happy to take the bus to the record label offices – I don’t need a cab!”

She also said she had never been motivated by money: “In the beginning of my career when my label didn’t really know me, the guys who publish my music and who still do to this day, I think they struggled a bit because they couldn’t understand that my wants and desires are not really financial.

"They used that at the beginning quite a lot to do things and couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t work. So they’d say, ‘Do this and we’ll buy you whatever’, and I’d be like, ‘I’m not doing it — I don’t care! I don’t want a car!’ I’m not driven by money or plaques or anything. I feel like my own definition of success is what’s important.”

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