Parental Leave
Being an expecting parent can be stressful. Carrying a child, or awaiting the adoption of one, is no easy task. Women go through the pain of birth on top of carrying a child and still have to worry about parental leave. Not to mention the hospital costs, the appliance and furniture needs, and the stress that comes with being a new parent. It is still extremely rare to see a woman paid on her maternity leave, and even rarer to see a man take more than a few days after the birth of a baby. These kinds of acts promote gender stereotypes and limit new mothers and fathers. Parents, regardless of gender, should be allowed paid parental leave while awaiting the birth or adoption of a child. This leave contributes to the well-being of the child, the
…show more content…
This puts the country on the same playing field as under-developed countries such as Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, and Swaziland (Heymann). In these countries, if women work, they are creating from inside the home. While in America, many women work outside the home. It is impossible for them to care for a newborn and accomplish tasks inside the workplace. This prevents many new mothers from taking their unpaid leave. Mothers may also be hesitant to leave the workplace because of termination. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employers from wrongfully treating or termination a pregnant woman, it still happens. As recent as 2014, Katherine Tremblay sued her engineering company after she was laid-off on account of taking the offered 12-week maternity leave (Gault). Stories like Katherine’s are all too common when women take leave. In fact, in a 2008 survey, approximately 30% of the women surveyed did not take the unpaid leave offered during their last pregnancy (Gault). This is a major issue as length of time off has shown to directly correlate with the health and safety of infants. In a study of over 140 countries, a 9-10% decrease in mortality rates of young children when a parent took 10 weeks leave (Heymann). It has also been shown that children whose parents take parental leave are more likely to receive all recommended vaccinations (Berger). As great as the benefits are for babies, there is also a major benefit for mothers. In a study of 817 Minnesota mothers, it was concluded that the length of leave directly correlates to lower rates of postpartum depression (Gault). While many large corporations, such as Ikea, American Express, Starbucks, and Google, have seen success with their paid parental leave programs (“Glassdoor’s”), many small companies struggle to finance these employees. Many of these businesses
This puts the country on the same playing field as under-developed countries such as Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, and Swaziland (Heymann). In these countries, if women work, they are creating from inside the home. While in America, many women work outside the home. It is impossible for them to care for a newborn and accomplish tasks inside the workplace. This prevents many new mothers from taking their unpaid leave. Mothers may also be hesitant to leave the workplace because of termination. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employers from wrongfully treating or termination a pregnant woman, it still happens. As recent as 2014, Katherine Tremblay sued her engineering company after she was laid-off on account of taking the offered 12-week maternity leave (Gault). Stories like Katherine’s are all too common when women take leave. In fact, in a 2008 survey, approximately 30% of the women surveyed did not take the unpaid leave offered during their last pregnancy (Gault). This is a major issue as length of time off has shown to directly correlate with the health and safety of infants. In a study of over 140 countries, a 9-10% decrease in mortality rates of young children when a parent took 10 weeks leave (Heymann). It has also been shown that children whose parents take parental leave are more likely to receive all recommended vaccinations (Berger). As great as the benefits are for babies, there is also a major benefit for mothers. In a study of 817 Minnesota mothers, it was concluded that the length of leave directly correlates to lower rates of postpartum depression (Gault). While many large corporations, such as Ikea, American Express, Starbucks, and Google, have seen success with their paid parental leave programs (“Glassdoor’s”), many small companies struggle to finance these employees. Many of these businesses