If America wants to be the greatest nation in the world, it
needs to take a little less time policing other countries and start
establishing a code of non-religious ethics that directly benefit the overall
health of its citizens. One of those things is Maternal/Paternal leave after
the birth or adoption of a child. In terms of other developed nations the USA
doesn’t even rank. There is no required parental leave.
Even though science has long revealed the benefits of
parental leave both for the child and the parents, America has not made any
advances at all.
In a country where the fight against gender norms and
stereotypes is incredibly prevalent legislation which requires a parental leave
would only help and encourage good things. It would allow both men and women to share in
the caring of that child without the worry that their job won’t be there when
they go back. In Sweden parents have 480 days of paid leave to use anytime
between the birth of that child and the child’s eighth birthday. This is not necessarily
the answer for America, but to reward employed members of society by allowing
them to have an early influence on their children doesn’t seem like too much to
ask.
In America the teen suicide rate, and violence in schools,
as well as other emotional problems plague the youth, this could be decreased
by allowing parents to do their most important job; forming the citizens and
adults of tomorrow into functioning human beings.
Claire wrote a blog entry about Paid Parental Leave in America that really got me thinking. I agree that parental leave is necessary if we want to advance our nation. Having a baby or adopting a child are both huge lifechangers. I don't understand how we can expect new parents, especially mothers, to function at any job. After carrying an entire person inside of you for nine months and then (more than likely painfully giving birth, how can we not see some sort of (financial) assistance is necessary. I especially don't understand how we can expect new mothers to leave their newborns at home. But it seems without any sort parental leave, many mothers cannot afford not to.
ReplyDeleteNew fathers are in need of parental leave as well. Raising a child is a full-time job and then some, without pay or benefits! No parental leave in America has mothers stuck at home taking care of the child and fathers overworked and stressed as well. The norm seems to be that women will leave their job after or shortly before having their child; while men will log in extra hours or find second jobs to cover the loss of income. Of course it doesn't stop there, fathers are expected to care for the child as well. The mother has worked all day long, probably without any sort of break and will more than likely need the father to watch over the child so she can grab even 30 minutes of rest.
With all the progress we have made, it seems a shame that we have not acknowledged the fact that new parents need help (and money) to not only survive, but to also take care of their children. It is unfair that women lose income and sometimes their jobs simply because they have a child and men are expected to cover the lost income somehow and still take on parenting duties. If anything women should be given some kind of paid maternity leave and job security, that would be one step closer to becoming the utopian nation many envision America to be.
Claire makes a very interesting point about the United States' lack of parental leave. I do agree that the fact that this is a problem, many women have to stay home without any compensation or put their young infants in childcare before they may be ready for it and mandated maternal leave really should be implemented in the United States.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are some problems with instituting parental leave here. First of all, Sweden is a great example of a country which has excellent parental leave and I'm not just saying that because I'm from there, I promise! However, Sweden has a population of about 9 million people, while only the state of Texas has 26 million people. This system is therefore a lot easier to implement because not as many people would be affected. Instituting parental leave in the United States, would be an enormous financial burden. So who would this burden fall on? Raising taxes or would the burden fall on the companies, companies who are already outsourcing much of their workforce to countries where they can pay their workers less?
Secondly, let me go back to the option of raising taxes to implement this. Sweden is a country which is generally rather supportive of taxation - and who has progressive taxation - with an approxiomate income tax rate of 30%, the country is generally more willing to contribute to the general welfare. Something that for example Texas is not as willing to do, Texas has a low taxes, low services approach which does not fit well with things such as parental leave. The United States in general are strongly against the raising of taxes and I do not see where the money to implement such a policy would come from. I really want this to happen but I see too many obstacles for this to happen in the near future.