The United states should have government funded maternity and paternity leave. A child is one of life’s greatest gifts and money should be the last thing a family stresses about in their first few weeks of being a new parent. A few countries such as Australia, Ghana and India offer paid maternity/paternal leave and have had glowing results. As the child of a single mom, I have seen the struggles of her being out of work and not being paid. I wonder how much better her mental state would have been had she had government aid. I wonder how much more time my mom would have been able to spend with my brother and I if she was able to have more time off instead of rushing back to work.
Australia is the leader in paid maternity leave. They offer 18 weeks of paid leave if you qualify. They have a very simple qualification process with requirements such as having to have worked 10 of the 13 months before the child is born, be the primary care taker of the child, and make less than $150,00 single income per year. The parent will get a minimum wage weekly amount of $650 before taxes. This amount of money may not be large, but think about how much more you could provide for a child with an extra $2,000 a month. This would eliminate copious amounts of stress that financial burdens bring a family. I feel that the United States should adopt these requirements and the exact ways that Australia does their paid leave.
Second, the mental state of the mother and father is greatly affected by the governments financial aid. Women's health magazine published a study that showed that 12 weeks or less of maternity leave increases the risk of postpartum depression. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in new moms. If government assistance is all it takes the lower these number so that mothers can stay at home and recover longer without financial burdens, it is worth it.
The United States is not doing what it should to help new families create the best beginning for their child. We need to consider the person more than the price tag we put on them. Mental health, and the Childs development in those first few moths is what we need to be paying most attention to. Lowering suicide rates and creating a better family environment will create a positive impact on both the baby and the parents.
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After reading Juliet Moeller’s blog on Paid Parental Leave, I was inspired to research the topic further on my own, specifically paid maternity leave. Unfortunately, American mothers are entitled to zero weeks of paid maternity leave under federal law. Nearly every industrialized country in the world provides working mothers with at least three months of paid maternity leave. This is the minimum amount recommended by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization. According to Juliet, Australia is the leader in paid maternity leave offering 18 weeks of paid leave. So if all these other countries can provide paid maternity leave, why does it not exist in the United States?
ReplyDeleteA typical household income falls by 10% at time of childbirth and does not recover until several months later when the mother goes back to work. In single mother homes the drop is even more drastic, 42% at time of childbirth with decreases happening in months prior to childbirth due to pregnancy related reductions in hours worked. New parents are seeing their incomes decreasing while their expenses are increasing due to the costs associated with raising a child. Research has shown that paid maternity leave not only leads to an increase in family income but an increase in economic growth as well. Paid maternity leave leads to better job performance and retention, promotes gender equality, and improves child health. Just as Juliet mentioned in her blog, mothers need time to recover both physically and mentally after childbirth and infants need extra time and attention during this critical time in their development. Without paid maternity leave, mothers often feel the financial stress and pressure to return to work as soon as possible. Juliet also refers to a study that found that 12 weeks or less of maternity leave increases the risk of postpartum depression.
A promising statistic that I discovered is that in 2016, 74% of registered voters said they wanted government to implement paid maternity leave. Republicans and Democrats both seem to overwhelmingly support the creation of paid maternity leave. The problem they are facing now seems to be in agreeing how and who should pay for it. Juliet supports implementing the same plan that Australia has in place, but I do not have enough information to decide if that would be the best system for the United States. Let’s hope the United States' lawmakers can figure it out sooner rather than later, and that the United States can catch up with every other industrialized country in the world.
Juliet- I am hopeful in the months or years to come, paid parental leave in the United States becomes a reality.
comment posted by Debra Harper- Harper's Political Talk http://governmentfall2018.blogspot.com/
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ReplyDeletePaid Paternal Leave editorial is a great topic written by Juliet Moeller. It’s been an issue that is often talked about but with no beneficial outcomes has come it. I agree with Juliet Moeller, The United State should pass a law that requires the government to fund maternity leave; and or pass a law that requires employers to provide paid maternity leave.
ReplyDeleteHave given birth just 12 months ago, I can relate. Fortunately my job paid 6 weeks of maternity leave, but with the catch that I do not use my 2 weeks of vacation days. This meant, I had to work up until the day I gave birth, literally. This also meant any time off for my prenatal appointments were not paid as well. I was one of the fortunate ones that had a baby before our company changed the policy. The policy is now up to 12 weeks maternity leave with no pay. This is absolutely unjust. I truly did not feel recovered from all the after effects of given birth. It takes longer than 6-12 weeks for a woman to recover physically and mentally after given birth. It takes longer than 6-12 weeks to get an infant to get on a sleeping schedule. It takes longer than 6-12 weeks for the fortunate couples that are in it together to figure out how to work as a team. It takes longer than 6-12 weeks to recover financially to support an infants every need.
Financially it is hard to recover from having a baby. Not only do you end up owing your insurance balance with the hospital but you have to buy diapers and formula and clothes and daycare. All these items which are necessities to care for an infant are in demand. This means that the cost can always be raised higher because of the demand. With the cost of living going up and employers not giving raises and not providing paid maternity leave is a very stressful burden for a new parent. This can lead to postpartum depression. Employers and the government should take this issue seriously and create change. Adopting a plan such as Australia as she stated would benefit mothers and fathers in the United States. When employers feel they are being taken care of and appreciated they work hard and stay loyal. This would lower stress, and depression and apathy. This would benefit the employers more than it would benefit the working parent.