LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Author Meghann Foye faced overwhelming backlash Friday for suggesting that all women should have maternity leave, including non-mothers.

In an article for the New York Post Thursday, she argued that all working women deserve paid “me” time off to focus on their personal lives, regardless if they have kids.

The 38-year-old author of the book “Meternity” wrote that she got frustrated seeing parents leave work on time while she had to stay late to “pick up the slack” because she did not have a legitimate excuse to get out of work.

“When you do go and you have to leave to pick up your child or tend to their needs, it’s certainly not going out to happy hour with your friends.” new mom Rami Gutterman of Westwood argued.

Foye said she even thought about faking a baby bump to get out of her 10-hour-per-day schedule.

She wrote in her experience, “it seemed that parenthood was the only path that provided a modicum of flexibility.” The author said when her friends returned from maternity leave, they were much more sure of themselves and able to see life in a new way.

After a firestorm of criticisms on social media, Foye backed out of a scheduled appearance on an early morning TV show Friday.

But Foye’s suggestion that all women take a few months away from their desks has its supporters.

“I’m almost 40. I don’t have kids. I love kids. But I think that if you do work, you should have the opportunity to take some time off because you work a lot of hours,” Tebo Dambe said.