Elizabeth Laning
As you may be aware, the United States has 0 weeks of paid leave for parents. This is comparable to Estonia who has a remarkable 87 weeks of paid leave. However, Estonia is not an outlier-- as you can see in the figure to the right, Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania, Austria, Czech Republic, Latvia, Norway and Slovakia all offer over a year of paid leave as well (Livingston, 2016). It isn’t like citizens don’t want this policy, in fact, “93% of Americans agree that mothers should receive some paid leave after new babies arrive” (Gillett, 2017). So if all these other countries have paid parental leave and United States citizens are proving to want it, why doesn’t the United States have any mandatory paid leave?
Ultimately, the reasoning is because of our sense of individualism. As a country we are so focused on the “American Dream.” With this, people have the mentality that being successful is not compatible with parents spending time off of work. There is no paid parental leave in the United States as without it, taxes remain low and individuals are responsible for themselves and their families.
There has been a shift more recently of politicians starting to address the issue. In President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address he discussed paid leave. Two years later, in 2016, this became a mutual goal in politics, both democrat and republican candidates creating plans and discussing the consequences of not having a policy. Furthermore, Ivanka Trump advocated for paid family leave on Capitol Hill. Recently, more light has been shed on such an issue (Gillett, 2017). This shift has caused Americans to start to change their individualistic mentalities--the shift will result in nonexclusion, important to providing all citizens with this opportunity if they plan to have a child. Currently, only certain jobs and companies provide paid leave. It does not kill a business to have paid leave, in fact, a study by the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University concluded that women who had taken parental paid leave were 39% less likely to receive public assistance and 40% less likely to receive food stamps in the year following a child's birth compared to those who didn't take any leave (Gillett, 2017). Therefore, paid parental leave will likely not be as significant of a tax burden as the opposition may believe because of the reduction of governmental assistance provided to women and families in other areas of living.
Even a short paid leave would be beneficial rather than 0 weeks of paid leave for American parents. Ultimately, there will always be tradeoffs, however this is something that will overall benefit United States families rather than be a treacherous economic burden. California, New Jersey and Rhode Island have all got on this economic issue, state mandated leaves put in place (“Estimating Usage and Costs of Alternative Policies to Provide Paid Family and Medical Leave in the United States,” 2017). Therefore, because of their success, paid parental leave should be nationally mandated.
Works Cited
“Estimating Usage and Costs of Alternative Policies to Provide Paid Family and Medical Leave in the United States.” Institute for Women's Policy Research, 19 Jan. 2017, iwpr.org/publications/estimating-usage-costs-alternative-policies-provide-paid-family-medical-leave-united-states/.
Gillett, Rachel. “Most People in America Want Paid Parental Leave - Here's the Real Reason the US Is the Only Developed Nation That Doesn't Have It.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 1 Oct. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/why-america-doesnt-have-paid-leave-2017-9.
Livingston, Gretchen. “Of 41 Countries, Only U.S. Lacks Paid Parental Leave.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 26 Sept. 2016, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/26/u-s-lacks-mandated-paid-parental-leave/.
Image link:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/26/u-s-lacks-mandated-paid-parental-leave/
I agree that new parents should have paid leave. Childbirth and early childhood needs can be very expensive and economically taxing on parents who do not get paid in the weeks immediately following childbirth. This can cause major economic losses to the families concerned, having long term effects. According to your article, paid leave results in a 39% reduction in a chance of needing public assistance, and a 40% decrease in a chance of needing food stamps. This shows that it would not only be beneficial to the families themselves, but also the economy in general as it will promote more economic growth, and marginally decrease poverty.
ReplyDeletePaid leave is something that I honestly have not thought about before and after reading this I question why that is. It clearly is an important topic and one that many overlook (including myself). I do agree with your stance on the issue in that we should have some amount of paid leave. It doesn’t even matter at this point if it’s only a week or two because we should just have something at least. People work hard and when they do have a baby they shouldn’t be punished for it. One question I do have that if there has been a mutual consensus within the congress, why is it that it’s been about 3 or 4 years and we still haven’t gotten any further on the issue?
ReplyDeleteNot only is paid maternity leave important to the economy of the United States, but also to our society. When parents feel like they aren't able to stay home to take care of their child due to financial reasons, who raises that kid? As according to the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the first years of a child's life are recognized as one of the most important developmental periods. lot of parent-child interactions are missed when parents cannot take maternity or paternity leave, leaving a child more likely to have behavioral issues down the road. Ultimately, these types of issues will most likely be worked through with taxpayer money anyways, as many children attend public school and the responsibility to solve these issues then falls on the school as they attempt to cultivate a good atmosphere in their school. When someone makes the decision to have a child, they acknowledge the work that needs to be done to create not only a productive member of society, but a kind one--and the first steps to getting there is arguably in the first years of a child's life.
ReplyDeleteAs you said in your article, it has been a long feuded debate between whether or not the US should provide paid maternity leave, and I think they should. Having a baby is already a big financial stressor and being without work for about 3 months or so does not help the financial status of new parents. Even if the mother/father is not being paid at full wage, a little bit helps over nothing. To help compromise this debate it would be most beneficial if companies paid their employees half of their salary during maternity leave, but also allow the option of taking full paid vacation days at this time as well. There are options out there our government can work out to get the new parents what they need when attempting to start their new family.
ReplyDeleteI agree that parental leave should be a paid leave, but as this lead in paid parental leave moves forward, what are some other externalities to be seen? From the article the poverty rate for women should go down, and advances in a child's education for better funding can be predicted. Also, how many weeks do you believe is needed if paid parental leave should pass? Currently, in a maternity/paternity leave, the common absence is around 3 months. Should that be the amount of time that should be subsidized? More? Less?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it is the role of the federal government to force all businesses to provide paid maternity leave for their employees because such a policy would overextend the influence of our government on businesses and wouldn't be economically practical. In short, I think that the policy regarding maternity leave should be handled in the same way as health insurance and other benefits provided by businesses. Although it may be feasible for large corporations to provide these types of benefits, it isn't realistic to force small businesses to do the same. At the end of the day, no one is entitled to getting paid for not working. Of course, anyone would love to be, and paid maternity leave is a benefit that would make one particular job offer more appealing than the rest. Thus, businesses should have the freedom to choose whether or not to offer paid maternity leave and to what extent. Ultimately, it's up to both businesses and employees to weigh the value of paid maternity leave. No one is forced to accept a job offer without this benefit, and thus no businesses should be shackled by the expensive requirement of paid maternity leave.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the entire country should follow New Jersey’s, California’s, and Rhode Island’s lead in providing paid maternity leave. As you mentioned, a short paid leave that only covers some of the mother’s time away is better than nothing. Additionally, I think that even a paid leave that gave a family a reduction of their salary would be both acceptable and beneficial. If a mother is pressured in returning to work shortly after giving birth, the opportunity cost is learning how to be an adequate parent. On the other hand, if a parent decides to stay home on unpaid leave, the opportunity cost is possibly being able to provide for their family. This is a lose-lose situation, but if paid maternity leave were mandatory, there would be a win option.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important for the US to start having paid leave for not only the mother, but the father as well. If we did not have paid leave, who would raise the child? In our current system, it is the parents deciding the opportunity cost. Do they make money, but have to put their child in day care, which is very expense in the US. Or, choose not to work and stay home with the child, but lose maybe a large portion of their income. This should not be something the parents should have to decide. I do believe the government should not require this by businesses, but hopefully it will become a norm in our society, as many companies start providing it to employees.
ReplyDeleteI am currently in between positions on the argument of paid maternal leave. On the one hand, maternal leave is not something that can be avoided and as you said, having that time unpaid can lead to future financial obstacles; in this way I see the benefits of implementing a maternal leave program. However, when looking at the larger economic impacts, I do not know if it is a feasible idea. This is because I believe that a program like paid maternal leave would have a significant impact on taxes or deficit spending if it is run by the government, as it wouldn't have a large effect on the reduction of other welfare programs. Additionally, if legislation was passed mandating that businesses provide paid leave, that government policy would increase input costs and potentially shift the SRAS to the left; this changes increases unemployment and price levels.
ReplyDeleteI was actually not aware that the United States does not currently offer a paid maternity leave. I thought that this was already set in place, but after reader I agree that women should be paid for maternity leave. Even if it is not for a long period of time I feel as though it's only fair to the family, afterall having children is a fact of life and should be encouraged. The fact that our country does not already offer paid maternity leave is almost discouraging the idea of having children. How are you supposed to afford to bring another life into the world if you're not even getting paid?
ReplyDeleteI would disagree with the notion that paid parental leave should be a policy issued by the government. I do think that paid leave for parents is something that almost discriminates against non-parental adults which can cause some disagreements among employee and employer for benefits which will result in lower employment rates. I also feel that if the government interferes too much with requiring and set amount of paid parental leave there could soon be a decrease in the motivation of the American workers to do their job and do it well, decreasing the effect of competition and the invisible hand on the economy. I fear that as less people actually work there will be less innovation, and less product being produced as many people would take advantage of the paid leave. And I disagree with the notion that taxes to pay for the lack of workers is worth the benefits of the workers. If anything I think that paid leave should be regulated by the company or employer themselves rather than the government involving itself with mandated policies.
ReplyDeleteAs we see it everyday, women seem to be always pregnant. If we think of how many pregnant women we have seen in our life time and compare it to the fact of them not getting any weeks pay when on maternity leave, plus seeing the other children they already have, we see that it’s a lot of money being lost from spending those weeks with their child. We hear all the time that one needs to be stable and have enough money to raise a child. This is done by having each week of pay, but when this isn’t the case for women on maternity leave, think how much money they are losing, that could go to the child. Therefore the topic is contradicting itself, we say one needs enough money to support a child, yet women can’t get paid during the weeks of taking care of that child? How is this right? Not only does this affect women, but it also affects men. Often times women who have higher paying jobs will share the maternity leave with there husband, just so more income can come in for the family. If America wants happy and healthy kids, growing up in a stable family, jobs should be paying not only women but also men when on maternity leave. As Elizabeth said, it doesn’t affect the tax burden, therefore why aren't women and men being paid on maternity leave, especially if 93% of Americans agree to having paid weeks on maternity leave?
ReplyDeleteI really like the topic that you choose to address, there are so many valid points that are made throughout your article. I do agree that there should be some sort of paid maternity leave, I do not think that it needs to be over a year, but yes there should be some soft of paid time off when you just had a baby. I think that Madelyn brings up some great points, that people expect families or moms to be financially stable and have 'enough' money to raise a baby, yet there is no source of income for her, for serval consecutive weeks. This, does not make sense. You cannot have it both ways, applying to the majority of the population. Another point that should be looked at is America as a whole. It is now just becoming common for men to be able to get paternity leave. Something that other countries have adapted LONG before America jumped on that. Therefore I believe that it will take America a long time to be able to implement this, although it is needed.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there should be some paid maternal and paternal age, however I don't believe this paid time should be as long as soem countries, like Estonia, are offering right now. I think it is important that woman and men, as well, feel comfortable to start a family and that they are not worried about job security because of this choice. However, it is undoubetly a choice to have children and someone should consider how that will affect their career before having the child. Work and family is a balance and I think it is important that those on maternal/paternal leave return to work promptly as despite having a new family, there is still work to be done. Therefore, I think it is important for companies to support their workers who want to have families, but these workers should understand that they have also already committed to a job and they need to hold up to that committment as well.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought paid parental leave was a debate, and the fact that so many Americans agree it is an issue and that it should be required is surprising. However, there are many opportunity costs that are a factor the government must weigh in when deciding to change this. It makes me wonder what would have to be given up to make this possible and if it would increase taxes for consumers and companies. Additionally, it shocked me to see how many companies offer a year or more worth of paid parental leave. I understood that many other countries had some sort of paid leave, but never realized it was to such a great extent. Looking at that graph really encourages me that the US may make changes to follow in other countries footsteps soon.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think there really is no good argument against why parents should not get paid leave. This is made abundantly clear from the data you provided--as so many countries already offer parents paid leave so clearly they have good reasoning in doing so. People often get so caught up in their own self-centered bubble that they don't consider others lives (particularly in the US) and I think this directly correlates to why we do not have paid leave for such reasons. Having a child is no easy task and people seem to forget that and say "hey if they're not working they don't deserve pay" but really, is this any different than taking a medical leave and getting pay? No. In both situations, people are taking a break from their work for a legitimate reason, so it doesn't logical in any sense that one gets paid and the other doesn't. Additionally, our future depends on the babies born today, so it would make sense that mothers/parents should still get money when they are on leave to take care of their child so they can fully support it and prepare it for a successful life in the future.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a great question to ask,a nd bring up. There are many people who would like to start a family, but there is one thing that comes with a family is the price. Living in not cheap, and all of the trips to the stores to get everything needed to make everyone happy will add up quick. I agree with your statement of even having some time paid off is nice, and will help in many ways but it would be much nicer to see more time paid off. It would help with being financially stable, and able to provide for a well being life. My question that came in my head is if there is a demand for more time off, and to get paid will there be the answer thrown out there that we are lucky to get time off? This is a subject that would benefit many people and grow the population. The information of the benefits of having paid leave are very strong, and I believe and hope it will happen in the future.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the United States there is no paid maternity leave. Although, some may believe that you shouldn’t be paid during this time because you aren’t technically doing your actual job, this is another form of working. Women in the US should get paid while on maternity leave because during this time there will be many expenses soon to come. For example, the essentials needed when caring for a newborn. While women prepare to have a baby, they are put through a difficult period of time before and after the pregnancy; there is a lot of work and expenses families go through. Getting paid during this time will help the families. Overall, women should get paid while on maternity leave because there will be many bills that will need to be paid and many hours put towards their child's first couple months.
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