Maternity Leave Benefits
Paid maternity leave in the United States
I am a single mother of two. During my last month of pregnancy, I started doing extra jobs to save up money for upcoming rent for when I would have to stop working. I had to work up until past my due date just to know that my kids and I would be taken care of after I have the baby. Something is wrong with that. Mothers and their infants grow healthier when allowed time to rest before and after birth without having to worry financially. Almost all countries provide direct financial support for parents during at least part of the protected leave. Most countries provide 3 months to 1 year of full-time paid leave. The United States is one of the only countries among others that do not guarantee some …show more content…
amount of leave with pay. Almost all countries provide direct financial support for parents during at least part of the protected leave.
According to a study by The Economic Policy Institute, the United States ranks lowest in terms of maternity leave. The United States provides the fewest mandated maternity leave benefits in both length of leave and amount of paid time off. According to research by economists Sara Markowitz and Pinka Chatterji and published in 2008 by the National Bureau of Economic Research, women who return to work soon after the birth of a child are more likely to get depressed than other mothers. The lack of time spent together hurts mothers ' relationships with their infants. Infancy is a time of bonding and trust. Without the mother-baby bonding time, the infant doesn’t create that bonding relationship that is needed in the child’s life. I had found that infants whose mothers had 12 weeks of maternity leave or fewer had lower cognitive test scores and higher rates of behavior problems at age four than children whose mothers had longer leaves. Longer paid maternity leaves are also linked to lower infant and child mortality. Infants need bonding time to create an attachment. An infant will not survive if he or she does not receive the love and attention from his or her caregiver. A scientist long ago tired to see what language a child would speak if he had never heard language before. In his discovery, he had found that all of the infants died and became malnourished. Longer paid maternity leaves benefit for an overall healthier
infant.
Now, knowing some of the financial issues and emotional and physical dangers of mothers and their infants who do not receive adequate care before and after pregnancy, we can work on a solution to make this situation better. Some strategies for our country may include paid leave, or come up with a low income plan. California provides for family leave with 50% pay for six weeks and the fund is paid for by employees, not employers. New Jersey passed legislation to provide some paid leave by requiring employers to have temporary disability programs. The United States could create a “low income family” program. The Australian “baby bonus” is a good example of a low income plan. From next year parents will be eligible to receive $570 a week, about $15 an hour, in parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Expectant “mums” must earn no more than $150,000 a year to qualify and work at least 330 hours in 10 of the 13 months before their due date. The parental leave will not affect workplace maternity leave, but families who receive the government 's paid leave will not be eligible for the Baby Bonus payment.
I’ve discussed how the U.S provides the fewest mandated maternity leave benefits in both length of leave and amount of paid time off, and the dangers to the new mother and baby due to lack of time to be together. Although the U.S. has a poor policy on maternity leave, many employers do offer other options including a leave of absence and a supplemental income during maternity leave. It is best to find out what maternity leave benefits an employer has to offer, in addition to FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), if a parent is planning to have a child or adopt.
References
Crittenden, Ann. 2002. The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued. New York: MacMillan.
U.S. Deparment of Labor. 2000. Balancing the Needs of Families and Employees: FMLA Survey Report.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor.
[http://www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/fmla/main2000.htm].
Gould, E. (May 2009) Economic Policy Institute. No Paid Leave for New Moms
Shierholz, H. (May 2008) Economic Policy Institute. Paid Maternity Leave Still on the Wish List for Many U.S. Mothers
Sara Markowitz and Pinka Chatterji (2008) National Bureau of Economic Research
I am a single mother of two. During my last month of pregnancy, I started doing extra jobs to save up money for upcoming rent for when I would have to stop working. I had to work up until past my due date just to know that my kids and I would be taken care of after I have the baby. Something is wrong with that. Mothers and their infants grow healthier when allowed time to rest before and after birth without having to worry financially. Almost all countries provide direct financial support for parents during at least part of the protected leave. Most countries provide 3 months to 1 year of full-time paid leave. The United States is one of the only countries among others that do not guarantee some …show more content…
amount of leave with pay. Almost all countries provide direct financial support for parents during at least part of the protected leave.
According to a study by The Economic Policy Institute, the United States ranks lowest in terms of maternity leave. The United States provides the fewest mandated maternity leave benefits in both length of leave and amount of paid time off. According to research by economists Sara Markowitz and Pinka Chatterji and published in 2008 by the National Bureau of Economic Research, women who return to work soon after the birth of a child are more likely to get depressed than other mothers. The lack of time spent together hurts mothers ' relationships with their infants. Infancy is a time of bonding and trust. Without the mother-baby bonding time, the infant doesn’t create that bonding relationship that is needed in the child’s life. I had found that infants whose mothers had 12 weeks of maternity leave or fewer had lower cognitive test scores and higher rates of behavior problems at age four than children whose mothers had longer leaves. Longer paid maternity leaves are also linked to lower infant and child mortality. Infants need bonding time to create an attachment. An infant will not survive if he or she does not receive the love and attention from his or her caregiver. A scientist long ago tired to see what language a child would speak if he had never heard language before. In his discovery, he had found that all of the infants died and became malnourished. Longer paid maternity leaves benefit for an overall healthier
infant.
Now, knowing some of the financial issues and emotional and physical dangers of mothers and their infants who do not receive adequate care before and after pregnancy, we can work on a solution to make this situation better. Some strategies for our country may include paid leave, or come up with a low income plan. California provides for family leave with 50% pay for six weeks and the fund is paid for by employees, not employers. New Jersey passed legislation to provide some paid leave by requiring employers to have temporary disability programs. The United States could create a “low income family” program. The Australian “baby bonus” is a good example of a low income plan. From next year parents will be eligible to receive $570 a week, about $15 an hour, in parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Expectant “mums” must earn no more than $150,000 a year to qualify and work at least 330 hours in 10 of the 13 months before their due date. The parental leave will not affect workplace maternity leave, but families who receive the government 's paid leave will not be eligible for the Baby Bonus payment.
I’ve discussed how the U.S provides the fewest mandated maternity leave benefits in both length of leave and amount of paid time off, and the dangers to the new mother and baby due to lack of time to be together. Although the U.S. has a poor policy on maternity leave, many employers do offer other options including a leave of absence and a supplemental income during maternity leave. It is best to find out what maternity leave benefits an employer has to offer, in addition to FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), if a parent is planning to have a child or adopt.
References
Crittenden, Ann. 2002. The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued. New York: MacMillan.
U.S. Deparment of Labor. 2000. Balancing the Needs of Families and Employees: FMLA Survey Report.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor.
[http://www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/fmla/main2000.htm].
Gould, E. (May 2009) Economic Policy Institute. No Paid Leave for New Moms
Shierholz, H. (May 2008) Economic Policy Institute. Paid Maternity Leave Still on the Wish List for Many U.S. Mothers
Sara Markowitz and Pinka Chatterji (2008) National Bureau of Economic Research