M: Maternity/Paternity Leave
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GooglePaid family leave combats poverty, gives children a healthy start, and lowers the wage gap between women and men by providing structural support to balance work and family.
Selena's Story
Selena’s baby boy, Connor, was born six weeks early. As Connor was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit, Selena found herself alone in a hospital bed realizing that she was going to go home well before her baby. "There was no way we could afford for me to take off more than we planned,” recalls Selena. So after Selena had the baby on Thursday, she was released from the hospital Friday, and was back at her desk on Monday morning. “It was the hardest two and a half weeks of my life,” she says recalling the ache of being away from her newborn son. More »
Know the Facts
- Having a baby is a leading cause of "poverty spells" in the U.S. -- when income dips below what's needed for basic living expenses.
- In the U.S., 49% of mothers cobble together paid leave following childbirth by using sick days, vacation days, disability leave, and maternity leave.
- 51% of new mothers lack any paid leave -- so some take unpaid leave, some quit, some even lose their jobs.
- The U.S is one of only 4 countries that doesn't offer paid leave to new mothers -- the others are Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho.
- Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality).
What You Can Do
Read More in the Motherhood Manifesto »
MomsBlogging on Maternity & Paternity Leave
Paid family leave victory in New Jersey!
Great news this week -- thanks to your hard work, New Jersey is poised to become the third state in the nation with paid family leave. The NJ State Senate passed the bill 21-15 after receiving over 63,000 (yes that's 63 THOUSAND) letters as part of a major MomsRising campaign. That's what I call "naptime activism" in action!
Learn more about the campaign behind this success story here on MomsRising.org, and I also wrote about it on my Mojo Mom blog
New Jersey: Major Progress toward Paid Family Leave
In New Jersey, a broad coalition of organizations including MomsRising is in the final stages of passing Family Leave Insurance. This is terrific news that has important national implications.
Presidential Candidates: Moms and Newborns Need Paid Family Leave!
On International Women's Day Saturday, I started thinking about moms around the world and then moms in our own United States of America. As the mother of four children, I've spent a lot of time over the years breastfeeding babies, and so I wondered: Why do moms in the U.S. still lack a guarantee of some paid maternity leave so they have time to bond with their bundles-of-joy?
Are Moms Really Ready For Change?
A few days back I was talking with a working mom who is newly pregnant. She's someone I really like and respect. Anyway, I asked her what she intended to do regarding maternity leave and she told me she expected that she would take a few weeks off from work.
What Every New Parent Needs To Know About Family Leave
Cookie magazine laid out all the federal and state protections for parents who must take leave for a new baby. Admittedly, it isn’t much, but it is something every new parent should know:
"Family and Medical Leave Act
Women shouldn't be discriminated against simply because they are mothers... but they are! Read about true experiences of American mothers, and learn how shared problems can be solved. Members can download the first chapter of the book today.
