2/5/15

Leading on Leave

As a recent college graduate, I have yet to consider how one would handle starting a family while advancing a career and managing bills. Come to find out - it's not easy, especially in the USA.

We're the ONLY developed nation WITHOUT paid maternity leave.  Unpaid leave coupled with burdensome child care tuition is presenting families with quite the conundrum. Whole paychecks are going towards child care, or whole paychecks are given up to care for children at home. So, what are families doing when they want to BE a family?

By: Think Progress 
By: Think Progress
Thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act some employees are protected from losing their employment and benefits when they take time off for the birth of a child, for tending to sick or injured family members, or  for committing time to the adoption process. Unfortunately, this protection does not extend to all employees. You have to work for a business for at least a year and there has to be at least 49 other employees working for the same business. Is this enough for families?

Some companies listed here choose to provide paid leave for their employees such as Google, Reddit, and Facebook. Does your company offer paid leave? If not, how would your family get by?

Proponents say that offering paid leave for families is not only good business sense, but necessary in closing the wage gap between men and women, because more often than not women assume the care-taking responsibilities.

Opponents say they would like their employees to reach out to them and work together to create a plan for leave, instead of having government mandated requirements.

Should the USA have mandatory policies for paid maternity leave? Paid paternity leave? Paid family leave?

Add your voice on social media using #LeadOnLeave
Or leave a comment below and we'll chat.

I leave you with a short video on the subject, by the US Department of Labor.




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8 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 4, 2015 at 11:10 AM

    As a woman who plans on having children at some point, I shouldn't have to worry about if I am sacrificing my career or my child's well-being by staying home or returning to work too long or too soon, respectively. FMLA is a step in the right direction but is not anywhere close to the rights afforded to women (and male parents) in most other developed nations.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 4, 2015 at 11:27 AM

      Mallory, your points are well taken. Even in the FMLA not all organizations are required to provide protection and benefits to their employees, so many women are not even covered by this act.

      Delete
  2. UnknownMarch 4, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. UnknownMarch 4, 2015 at 12:13 PM

    Wow, those infographics are really striking. We need to catch up with the rest of the world.

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  4. thestefMarch 4, 2015 at 1:08 PM

    Paid maternity leave is a must! However what are parents supposed to do once they wish to return to work? Childcare costs are outrageous! Is there anything in place that could lower childcare costs without sacrificing quality?

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  5. UnknownMarch 4, 2015 at 8:45 PM

    Unfortunately, without having government-mandated paid leave, most companies would probably not opt to offer their employees the option of paid leave even if approached to form a plan. Good for Google, Reddit and Facebook for hopefully starting a trend!

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  6. UnknownMarch 5, 2015 at 8:44 PM

    It is utterly shocking to see how behind the United States is. Hopefully more companies will take it upon themselves to provide paid leave, but until it is government-mandated, this necessity will be unavailable to far too many American families.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 9, 2015 at 5:59 AM

    Let's change this so our children and their children will live healthier, happier lives in America.

    ReplyDelete

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