Statement
STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising, On the Subcommittee on Children and Families Hearing on Paid Family Leave
July 30, 2014
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
MomsRising Member Testifies about Need for Supportive Family Leave Policies
“This morning MomsRising member Jeannine Sato joined policy experts at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families to discuss the vastly different experiences she had with two separate employers and their policies on family leave. The current lack of universal paid family leave is hurting too many families like Jeannine’s across the country.
“The organization Jeannine worked for during her first pregnancy carefully structured their office locations and staff size to circumvent the Family and Medical Leave Act, which guarantees employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child. That allowed them to deny Jeannine’s request for maternity leave and she had to return to work full time just six weeks after giving birth, or risk losing her job and financial stability.
“Going back to work so quickly drastically cuts a mother’s time to recover and bond with a new baby, can make meeting breastfeeding goals difficult and can create a nearly impossible challenge of finding quality and affordable child care for a newborn. Additionally, by not having access to any paid leave for the meager time off they did get, Jeannine and her husband had to live on a reduced income just as they incurred the new expenses associated with a baby. Having a baby is a leading cause of poverty spells in our nation, a time when income often dips below what’s needed for food and rent.
“Like Jeannine, millions of women around the country do not have any maternity leave, paid or unpaid. Most states do not have short-term disability, and many Americans have no guaranteed sick time, vacation or maternity leave. Some mothers are forced by financial need to go back to work just days after having a child.
“It is nothing short of a tragedy that our mothers and our children are being treated this way in the United States. Both policymakers and employers need to realize that investments in family leave and early childhood are rewarded by productive, loyal employees and healthy and successful children, all of which helps to build a more stable, successful and prosperous society and economy.
“In fact, studies show that people who have access to paid family leave after the birth of a child are more likely to be in the labor force a year after the child's birth and are less likely to need to rely on long-term government entitlement programs, saving taxpayer and businesses funds.
“Luckily, Jeannine’s story has a happy ending. She decided to leave her previous employer and find another one that would truly honor the idea of ‘family friendly’ policies. Within a year she found a new job at Duke University as director of Durham Connects, a nurse home visiting program for parents of newborns. While at Duke she had her second child, and this time found her employer to be extremely supportive, allowing 12 weeks leave, part of which was paid, and the flexibility to work from home to ease her transition. She states in her testimony:
‘The stark difference between the family leave situations between my first and second child crystalized for me how terrible my first experience was, and how much better things can be in a supportive work environment. Being able to take the appropriate amount of time off allowed us to bond with our newborn, and establish good breastfeeding routines and quality child care plans. It gave me time to rest and recuperate from pregnancy and childbirth before jumping back into the workforce…. I was recovered, rested and ready to come back to work, and I never missed a beat. My anxiety was much lower and I was a better parent.’
“But at MomsRising, we feel it shouldn’t come down to luck of the draw. More than 170 countries offer new moms some form of paid leave. It’s an embarrassment that the United States isn’t among them. We will continue to fight for this dream to become a reality.
“On behalf of MomsRising’s million-plus members, we are thankful to the committee and its chair, Sen. Kay Hagan, for holding this hearing today to discuss these important issues.”
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Media Note: Jeannine Sato’s full testimony is available here. For questions and interview requests, please contact Kim Hayes, MomsRising, (202) 371-1999 or kim@prsolutionsdc.com