That's right, the United States may be the world's richest nation, but we're also one of only 5 out of 174 that don't mandate any paid maternity leave. Three others are poor countries (Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho); the fourth, Australia, at least guarantees a full year of unpaid leave, plus a small lump-sum payment to all new mothers. We can't even match that: The U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) merely requires employers to offer 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, and the rule applies only to companies with 50 or more workers.
We wish we could report that employers are stepping up to the plate on their own. For the most part, they're not. Only 52 percent of companies surveyed with 50 or more employees offer paid maternity leave -- and most pay only partial salary. The result: Only 32 percent of first-time American moms with jobs take paid maternity leave, and only 43 percent use paid leave of any kind.
The impact has been harsh: Nearly 60 percent of first-time mothers return to work less than three months after giving birth. Sure, some may be eager to resume their fulfilling careers. But we're guessing the vast majority would jump at the chance to spend three, four, preferably six months with their newborns.
Meanwhile, studies confirm that paid maternity leave is vital to children's health. It makes sense: The more time a mother has to breastfeed, the lower her newborn's risk of infections. The more bonding time mom and baby have, the lower the chance the child will develop emotional and psychological problems. Our government's unwillingness to provide moms and babies this time together has consequences: In a recent UNICEF study of child well-being in developed nations, the United States ranked in the bottom third. Incredibly, when it comes to infant mortality, we rank a low 33rd among 195 nations.
The benefits of paid maternity leave don't just stop at the front door -- there's evidence that businesses would enjoy improved employee performance and lower job turnover rates. A government mandate would also guarantee that businesses could reap those rewards without being undercut by competitors who don't offer paid leave.
American voters, at least, don't need to be convinced of the importance of paid family leave. Seventy-six percent say they want it, even at the cost of a small tax on their paychecks, according to Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, a prominent polling firm based in Washington, DC. Yet year after year, proposals to expand maternity leave languish while wave after wave of new mothers are forced to leave their babies too soon.
Okay. You're ready to march into Congress and force lawmakers to get in gear. But first you need to take the baby for a checkup. Then gulp down a few bites between nursing sessions. And squeeze in enough sleep so you can start over at 5 a.m. tomorrow. How can you get Uncle Sam to start doing right by America's families without neglecting your own? Try these super-easy strategies:
E-mail the presidential candidates. It's a cinch, thanks to MomsRising, a nonpartisan organization with 140,000 members dedicated to advancing family-friendly legislation. Just go to MomsRising.org and click on the "Campaigns" link, then click on "MomsVote '08: E-mail the Candidates." The next window provides a sample letter you can modify or just send off as is to Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The MomsRising site also has a sample letter for the Republicans' VP pick, Sarah Palin, asking her where she stands on paid maternity leave and other family issues.
E-mail your state reps. It's important to contact state officials because there's a better chance that change will be enacted first at the state level (see "Spotlight the States," below). We've posted a sample letter and provided a list of all the Democratic and Republican state party websites. You can find links to your federal, state, and local government representatives at these sites, then copy and paste our letter into their e-mail forms.
Show up at voter events. The more moms the candidates hear from directly, the more they'll realize that we mean business! Your state party website will have links to each elected official's own website, so you can find out if they are planning town-hall meetings or voter forums nearby. Go and ask about paid maternity leave.
Vote! Nothing will get the attention of politicians more effectively, so MomsRising has launched a new project called MomsVote '08. Find out how you can help get busy moms to the polls and if you can vote early or through absentee ballot.
Sign up for e-mail reminders. The wheels of government can turn slooowly. While you don't have to keep weekly or even monthly tabs on Congress, you can be ready to e-mail your senators and representatives whenever a vital vote on paid-maternity-leave legislation is imminent. Once again, MomsRising makes it easy to stay in the loop with an e-mail -- alert system; sign up for it on their website. Then you'll just have to click on a prewritten e-mail and send it directly to your reps. The National Partnership for Women & Families (nationalpartnership.org) and 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women (9to5.org) have similar setups.
Paid-maternity-leave proposals have been steadily gaining bipartisan support. Some that could be in play in 2009 include a bill that would set an important precedent by guaranteeing paid leave to federal employees. Another is a comprehensive plan to offer all employees paid maternity leave, financed through a small mandatory premium deducted from paychecks, similar to the way unemployment-insurance premiums or social security contributions are deducted.
Spotlight the states. Often the most groundbreaking national laws adopted by Congress start out as pilot programs in individual states. For years California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have allowed women to get partially compensated by their states' disability funds for the period during which they're unable to work due to a pregnancy or recent birth. In 2002 California adopted a plan that lets women draw a portion of their wages while they take up to six weeks off to bond with and care for a new child. The program is financed by slightly increasing employees' contributions to California's temporary-disability fund. New Jersey and Washington are planning to have similar systems in place by 2009.
By joining some of the citizen groups mentioned earlier, you'll be informed when a campaign for paid maternity leave is gaining traction in your state. Ultimately, the more states that pass paid-maternity-leave bills of their own, the more pressure Congress and the President will feel to finally help all American moms and their families.
Important Links:
Sample LetterState Democratic Party Websites State Republican Party Websites
