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Personal Narrative
Soniya Al-Amin
UT eID: sa25738
November 21, 2012
HIS 350R
Effects of Maternity Leave on Women in the United States The purpose of my research paper is to evaluate the effects of maternity leave in the United States, with an emphasis on the historical change of laws surrounding it and the health effects on mothers and infants. Maternity leaves can affect mothers’ and infants’ welfare if they first affect the amount of time working women stay at home post birth. I would look at the workplace conditions placed on mothers who go on maternity leave, as well as delve into the health benefits for mothers who take time off as opposed to mothers who return to work almost immediately after giving birth. A primary source document that I would use in my research paper is the actual text of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This federal legislation was passed and started taking effect in 1993 in the United States under President Bill Clinton. Through this act, we can start to see how the impact of maternity leave provisions on mothers. The FMLA has required employers to provide employees job-protected and unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons. Some qualified medical and family reasons include personal or family illness, family military leave, adoption, pregnancy, or the foster care place of a child. The act started off by saying that “…it is important for the development of children and the family unit that fathers and mothers be able to participate in early childrearing and the care of family members who have serious health conditions.” By using these words to introduce the act, it places an emphasis on the importance of the parents to be very involved with their children right after birth. It has been found that “…the lack of employment policies to accommodate working parents can force individuals to choose between job security and parenting,” leading to the extra stress of the parents to return to work without taking proper time off


Bibliography: Chatterji, Pinka and Sara Markowitz. "Does The Length Of Maternity Leave Affect Maternal Health?," Southern Economic Journal, 2005, v72(1,Jul), 16-41.
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