Topic of the Week: Paid Leave for New Mothers

Before getting into our topic for the week, we just wanted to share a few updates from the center. Next week is WRC week where we will be celebrating what the WRC does on campus and will be promoting what we can further provide the campus. We will be on-to-go every week, meaning we won't be in the center itself, but rather at a table promoting our raffle and other things. On Sunday, April 3rd, we have speaker Representative Stacey Newman coming to talk about equal pay for men and women and the struggle for pay equity, on Tuesday, April 5th, we have a new S&M event, explaining the real facts behind S&M lifestyles, and Wednesday, April 6th, we will be having our Poetry Slam! This week we are just gearing up for that, hanging promotional posters and hanging out like we normally do, so you all should come in and say hi! 


Now, onto the topic at hand: paid leave for new mothers, or a lack thereof sometimes. Many families around the United States alone suffer greatly due to sometimes nonexistent laws and policies on paid leave, a lack of breastfeeding accommodations and a lack of aid to families with needs due to having children. This article entitled "U.S.: A Lack of Paid Leave Harms Workers, Children" showcases a 90-page report based on struggling parents from across the country. The report discusses parents who have their own children as well as parents who have adopted children, and their struggle due to a lack of laws and policies protecting new families. 


"We can't afford not to guarantee paid family leave under law - especially in these tough economic times," said Janet Walsh, deputy women's rights director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report.


Many companies do not provide paid leave for the mother after she gives birth, and many offer only partial pay if she needs to be off work during a difficult pregnancy; some only offer pay up until a certain period in the pregnancy itself. And many companies laugh at the idea that new fathers should get some paid leave as they adjust to handling a new member of the family. The report, found here, discusses several specific stories of these struggling families, including one of a woman whose boss was "unhappy about her pregnancy and forced her to clean up the floor and do tasks normally assigned to other staff in the last months of her pregnancy, and refused to let her use accrued paid sick leave after her baby was born" (HRC) The woman was also forced to work night shifts and her boss threatened to fire her if she took off for too many health care appointments. 


This type of behavior is not uncommon; what do you think? Is this type of reaction to new families right? Some have argued that families tend to choose to have children, and therefore they should be more prepared to handle a new child. This blogger would argue that not only do some people not plan their pregnancy, but that this form of argument itself seems blaming people for wanting to start a family. What are you reactions? Should new mothers get mandatory paid leave and other benefits during their pregnancy? What about the fathers? If not, why?