Off Time Before Childbirth

Parents who lose wages while they take time off are protected by the Paid Family Leave Act (PFL), as California provides income replacement in order for them to bond with their newborn or newly adopted child. PFL offers six weeks of partial pay in order to care for the child, financially. According to website, paidfamilyleave.org the partial pay is 55 percent of the worker’s usual salary. PFL does not guarantee job protection as the parent has to qualify for the California Family Rights Act. In the article 10 Things You Need to Know About Maternity Leave in the US, it states, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 12 percent of Americans have access to the paid parental leave, which is considered a benefit by employers,” demonstrating that only certain employees receive paid parental leave as

America being one the most industrialized nations it is shocking to most to discover that it does not provide a more beneficial maternity leave when compared to its European counterparts. Not only is Europe leading the way for a lengthier leave of absence for new mothers, they also provide financial benefits to those families with newborns, to American society this is not considered a cultural norm, in fact it is even bizarre to some that having a child while in the work force would even be beneficial. Consequently, the difficulty in accessing a reasonable maternity leave in America creates long term effects on a child’s development.

Maternity leave is a retreat that all mothers should have the opportunity to experience after childbirth. The birth of a child can be exciting, exhausting, and challenging for all new mothers experiencing the joys of parenthood. Unfortunately for some working mothers living in the United States, maternity leave is not always guaranteed. The United States is one of the only developed countries in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid maternity leave. An idea so common in other countries is considered a luxury benefit for hard-working mothers in the United States.

What is Family and Medical leave Act (FMLA)? The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that was passed in 1993, is a national policy that grants workers up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave in four situations. These four situations are for pregnancy; to care for an infant, such as newborns, newly-placed foster children, and adoptions; to care for a relative with a serious health condition; or to allow an employee to recover and recuperate from a personal serious health condition. This paper will be discussing the impact of FMLA on employers and the protections provided by this law. (Vikesland, 2009)

Although current federal and state level legislation guarantee some protections, these policies do not cover all new parents. Parents must have worked a minimum of 5 months while contributing to State Disability Insurance to receive 55% of their salary during 6 weeks of their parental leave, and must have worked with an employer for 1 year to quality for 12 weeks of unpaid leave (“About Paid Family Leave (PFL),” n.d.). Parental leave is not accessible to all adults in the United States because of these requirements, and therefore makes early parenting even more challenging for working adults. Nationally, the trend for mothers on maternal leave has stagnated, although the US economy has expanded (Zagorsky, 2017).

Currently, the U.S. is the only modernized country not to offer paid leave to new mothers (Hall). The one legal protection offered by the U.S government is the Family and Medical Leave Act, or the FMLA. Since it became legislation in 1993, the FMLA has guaranteed a new mother job security for twelve weeks after her child is born. It does not, however, mandate pay. The FMLA also has other downsides. Women are only secured their twelve weeks of leave if they work a minimum of 1,250 hours a year and work for a company with fifty or more employees (Hall). This means that only two out of every five women qualify for protection (Hall). If a women does not qualify, it is left to her employer’s discretion to decide how long she will get to stay with her

There is a correlation between postpartum and physiological and psychological health issues (Chatterji, 2004). Studies also found that inadequate time away from work after giving birth spurs postpartum therefore, paid maternity leave needs to be addressed to alleviate these results since recent mothers with limited financial resources tend to return to work sooner than they should. Also, it is difficult for working mothers to juggle a demanding work environment while caring for an infant at home. The stress of trying to balance the two has shown to weaken the immune system which causes other health problems down the road. According to Chatterji, returning to work too early also comes with consequences including numerous psychological conditions but most particularly depression. Chatterji also states that these negative symptoms can be reduced incrementally by increasing the time of maternity leave.

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

The Expand Maternity and Paternity Leave Act (EMPLA) is a law that provides certain parents with up to fifteen weeks of paid, job-protected leave. The parents or single parent can start their maternity leave seven weeks before their due date and eight weeks after, around 75% of their normal pay. They can extend the leave for another two weeks if the child gets sick or has special needs. The fifteen weeks of paid leave annually for parents or single parent of newborn or newly adopted children. To be eligible for EMPLA, you must meet United States residence requirements, worked at least a year before their birth or adoption of their child, etc.

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).

According to the American Pregnancy Association, “Maternity leave refers to the period of time that a new mother takes off from work following the birth of her baby. Maternity leave is an employee benefit that provides paid or

How can a household or a single mom can survive a grueling 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave? Is it a sin to give birth? Or maybe, a mom can ask her creditors such as house developers or landlord, car dealership, banks, credit cards, etc., to at least give her a time-off in paying bills because she committed a serious crime of having a baby and her employer or the government is penalizing her by giving 12 weeks maternity leave without pay. I think, the federal Family and Medical Leave act of 1993 is a birth control mechanism that deters an aspiring couple or soon-to-be mother to conceive a baby. Legislators should have a heart in balancing work and family. What if, after giving birth, the baby become a sickly baby just like me as my mom told

9. The law that protects me if my spouse wants time off to have a baby is The Family and Medical Leave Act, this law also protects me from medical leave if I’m unable to work because of a serious health condition, and if I’m taking care of immediate family member with a serious health problem.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, mothers who return to work soon after the birth of a child are more likely to become depressed and are less healthy than mothers who do not, and one third of mothers end up in debt after childbirth due to having unpaid maternity leave. When a woman has access to paid leave after birth they are more

A parent whose partner has given birth is entitled to 2 weeks leave from work paid at statutory paternity leave, there is now an option for additional parental leave.