When I welcomed my first child, I was employed by a small physical therapy clinic, and my maternity leave? A grand total of zero days. I was aware of this unfortunate reality when I discovered I was pregnant, but about three months in, I decided to check in with my boss about possibly taking 12 weeks off—unpaid, of course. Her response? She laughed. Yes, laughed.
Naturally, I resigned on the day I went into labor. This meant that, alongside caring for my newborn, I suddenly had to depend solely on my husband’s income for three months, while also searching for a new job. How delightful, right? I didn’t even have the energy for postpartum anxiety at that hectic time, so I postponed that until my baby was nearly a year old. Sorry hormones, you’ll have to hold on until I can deal with falling apart.
In the U.S., if you’re a woman working for a company with fewer than 50 employees, your employer has total discretion over whether you get paid during maternity leave. They don’t even have to guarantee that your job will be waiting for you when you return—because, you know, giving birth and caring for a newborn isn’t stressful enough.
While the U.S. likes to boast about being the best at everything, we lag far behind in supporting new parents. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 178 countries guarantee paid maternity leave, and 54 offer paid leave for fathers. Yet, in the U.S., there’s no requirement for employers to provide paid maternity leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 allows for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but only half of eligible women can take advantage of it, and many simply can’t afford to stop working.
Now, let’s take a glimpse at Canada. Depending on their tenure, Canadian mothers can enjoy up to 52 weeks off after giving birth, with job security guaranteed. Plus, they receive 15 weeks of paid leave from the government. Can you imagine how transformative that would be for new parents in the U.S.?
So, let’s entertain the thought for a moment.
- Instead of quitting my job due to uncertainty about job security, I would have entered labor feeling far less stressed. Less stress for me means less stress for my baby.
- I could have enjoyed 15 paid weeks with my newborn, bonding and establishing a routine without the looming pressure of work.
- I wouldn’t have had to hunt for a new job, which would have created a more stable environment for my family.
- At 12 weeks, my baby was still waking up multiple times at night. I shed tears every morning for months after returning to work—exhaustion was my only companion.
- I was allowed only three 15-minute pumping breaks during a grueling 10-hour shift, which did nothing for my meager milk supply. Leaving behind tiny bottles of breast milk at daycare only intensified my feelings of guilt.
- I wouldn’t have constantly worried that my extreme fatigue was impacting my performance in a physically demanding job.
- Perhaps I wouldn’t have watched nearly 80% of my paycheck vanish into daycare costs, questioning how I was sacrificing so much for such little return.
- And maybe, just maybe, I could have avoided the postpartum anxiety that plagued me when my son turned a year old, simply because I was happier and more relaxed.
I returned to work after 12 weeks because we needed to put food on the table. Was I ready? No. Was I sleeping? Absolutely not. Was I performing at my best? Not even close.
Come on, America! The ILO indicates that effective maternity leave “contributes to the health and well-being of mothers and their babies,” which is essential for achieving major development goals, including reducing child and maternal mortality. This is serious stuff—think about it as you head to the polls in November. Remember, “Equality for women represents progress for all.”
This article was originally published on Sep. 9, 2016.
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Summary
Maternity leave in the United States is a significant challenge for new mothers. With no federal guarantee for paid leave and job security, many women face immense pressure upon returning to work shortly after childbirth. Comparatively, countries like Canada provide a much more supportive environment for new parents, which makes you wonder about the long-term implications of such disparities.