The shadow Cabinet minister raised concerns about taking tax from one group of workers to give it to new mothers and suggested the system had "gone too far".
Ms Badenoch said women had more babies before they were allowed to take 39 weeks' leave.
She told Times Radio: "Tax comes from people who are working. We're taking from one group of people and giving to another. This in my view is excessive. We need to have more personal responsibility - there was a time when there wasn't any maternity pay and people were having more babies."
Ms Badenoch later insisted that "contrary to what some have said", she does support maternity pay and she was talking about the "burden of regulation" going too far.
Leadership frontrunner Robert Jenrick said: "I don't agree with Kemi on this one. I'm a father of three young daughters. I want to see them get the support they need when they enter the workplace. The Conservative party must be on the side of working mothers."
Rival Tom Tugendhat said it was "important that women have the ability to choose how to live their lives". He added: "It's not for me to tell you whether you should go to work or stay at home or which job to do, or how many kids to have.
"That's none of my business.
What's my business as a politician is to make sure that you have the support for choice."
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