Maternity Rights at Work

Becoming a parent is beautiful yet stressful time in many people's lives. Emotions of joy and worry fill the mind of expecting parents as they work to provide a loving and financially stable home for their family. Both parents wish to actively support their child and their spouse during this time of transition, however, corporations are making this task difficult. Maternity leave is a benefit that most companies provide, but only for their female employees. Male employees are not given the same opportunity to share the responsibility of childcare with their wife or to develop a bond early on with their child. Providing fathers maternity leave would give them time to dedicate themselves to the growth of their child, allow the mother to heal from giving birth, and promote equality within the family unit and in the workplace.

Currently, the United States is the only industrialized country without a statute requiring all employers to provide some kind of paid time off for its employees to care for a newborn or a sick loved one. Data gathered from 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) support this claim. Figure 1 shows the member countries and the length of maternity leave provided to all employees.

As we move into the new millennium more and more employers are allowing, some are even encouraging, their employees to bring their newborn babies to work with them. This is probably one of the greatest changes in child care norms that this country has seen in the past 30 years. Once upon a time, when a woman had a baby she almost always quit her job to raise her child, depending on her husband to support her and her child. Then along came the idea of maternity leave. This is when a woman takes a certain amount of time off to be with newborn. Once this time period was up, the woman still had a job to go back to. This meant that women no longer had to rely on their husbands for support. Unfortunately it also

Sophie just had a baby, and her government ensures that she has 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, with 3 additional years of unpaid leave if she wants it. Her husband also has 11 days of paid

The United States is the only country among 41 others that does not legally stipulate paid maternity leave, which leaves this legislation at the discretion of the individual states (Livingston, 2016). Currently, parents in California are covered by California State Disability Insurance, and receive 55% of their salary for six weeks (“About Paid Family Leave (PFL),” n.d.). California is one of four states that supplement the national Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which guarantees unpaid maternity leave for 12 weeks (“Why So Few Women Take Maternity Leave | Time.com,” n.d.). It is my recommendation that the California House of Representatives vote to pass bill AB-568, an assembly bill that allows public school and community college employees fully paid maternity leave.

 If a doctor or health care provider says their patient is sick and unable to work during their pregnancy, they may be able to get up to 12 weeks off without pay under this law.

Jane thinks she will be taking ten months’ maternity leave after the birth of their child. Her employer’s maternity package is full pay for the first six months, and then on the statutory maternity pay, worth about £94 net per week, for the further four months. They looked into Adan taking some paternity leave but have decided against it, and

The lack of a paid parental leave law in the country does not necessarily mean that it is absent in the U.S. labor market. Some generous and more progressive companies do recognize the importance of the leave to employees and do offer it. According to the Employee Benefits Survey of 2015, 21% of employers nationally offer some paid maternity leave while 17% offer some paid paternity/adoption leave. However, about a fifth don’t have any kind of protected maternity, paternity, or adoptive leave. (Ray, 8; Time, n. pag.)

The Family and Medical Aid Act (FLMA), of 1993, provides for 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave for certain specified events (8). Whilst one could refer to this as maternity or paternity leave if taken because of a pregnancy, this would not be strictly true. Where maternity and paternity leave are offered around the

When an employee has a baby they could be eligible for maternity leave and maternity pay. You have the right to maternity leave regardless of how long you've been in your job, how many hours you work, or how much you're paid. This is also the case for antenatal appointments. You are legally entitled to reasonable paid time off to attend antenatal appointments. Employees must take a minimum of 2 weeks off work (or 4 weeks if they are a factory worker).

Regardless of the time that an employee has been working in a company, any worker is always eligible for maternity leave. Moreover, in most companies; female employees receive more rights and protections during their pregnancy.

A mere 12 weeks is the amount of unpaid maternity leave promised to working mothers under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in America. Although many mothers-to-be gladly take the dozen weeks off, American families are at a disadvantage compared to other families around the globe. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not guarantee or even offer paid maternity leave for working mothers; employers decide whether to provide paid leave for mothers. In the last few decades, more women have traded their aprons for briefcases. However, working women in the United States must choose to raise families while keeping their jobs. Currently, women in the United States must choose between their kids or their career. Mothers who decide to have families must stay at home with a new baby with no guarantee of a paycheck. New mothers should be guaranteed six months of fully paid maternity leave in the United States because they need to restore their health, paid leave helps the economy, and it promotes better health of the baby.

Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), if you are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, you are eligible to take a pregnancy disability leave (PDL), which is an unpaid leave. If you are affected by pregnancy or a related medical condition, you are also eligible for reasonable accommodation (such as more frequent breaks) and/or to transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position or to less strenuous or hazardous duties, if medically advisable because of your pregnancy. A pregnant employee has these rights, regardless of length of employment or hours worked (but leave is prorated for a part-time employee based on your status as compared to a full-time employee).

Women employees have the right to take up to one year’s (52 weeks’) maternity leave. All women have the right to return to their

Pregnancy is an inherent quality directed solely to women, therefore it is much deserving of special protection. The dawn of democracy in 1994 brought with it a new era of labour rights. No longer may employers unfairly discriminate against workers on the basis of gender or sex. Unfair treatment or dismissal on this basis amounts to gender discrimination. Legal pressure is important to protect women’s employment and health during pregnancy. Among the complexities of gender equality is the question as to what extent our society adopts fairness when dealing with pregnancy of women in the workplace. Although the legislature has implemented many initiatives in support of pregnant women in the workplace, the question that arises is that, is it sufficiently implemented or has it been drawn up and not put to practical use.