Parental leave has been a controversial American social policy throughout the past few decades, as the split between conservatives and liberals has caused a major setback in American health benefits. Currently, under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, the United States requires a minimum of twelve weeks of unpaid leave to mothers for the purpose of caring for a newborn or newly adopted child. The United States along with Papua New Guinea and a few South Pacific Islands are the only nations in the world that do not guarantee paid leave, representing a need for progressive change in American politics. Many individuals, most importantly working mothers, strongly argue for this mandated paid leave, as well as encourage a longer duration of absence and the inclusion of paid paternal leave. These changes will not only benefit new parents, but also their children in a variety of ways. Mandating paid leave will provide positive health and economic outcomes for families, which has been shown through repeated experimentation and numerous surveys. By looking at this extensive research, the United States should mandate a minimum of fourteen weeks of guaranteed paid maternal leave and at least one week of paid leave for fathers. This will not only reduce the stress parents have for starting a family and contribute to the betterment of a child’s health, but also establish a better career environment for working parents and their supervisors. 

Through this “unique American problem” of unpaid maternity leave, mothers and their families are experiencing mental, physical and economic stresses that other nations have risen above (Deahl). Although the Family Medical Leave Act was established in 1993, this piece of legislation does not protect all working mothers in the United States, causing serious consequences. Only women working in public agencies, public and private schooling systems and companies with at least fifty employees qualify for FMLA. This has left 40% of the female worker population ineligible and defenseless (Rubin). Self-employed women, those working in smaller business firms as well as employees who have worked for a company for less than twelve months are not protected by the FMLA. This has resulted in mass amounts of women having to return to work as soon as two to three weeks postpartum, representing a crucial problem in American society. In addition to the challenges that the women who do not qualify for FMLA face, the majority of the other 60% of mothers cannot economically afford to go on extended periods of unpaid leave. Rubin, accomplished author and journalist, states, “[t]he lack of paid maternity leave has been linked to lower rates of breastfeeding and childhood immunizations and higher rates of child mortality and depression in mothers” (643). These statistics show the overarching problems of the United States’ current parental leave policy as well as why 185 of the 193 countries in the United Nations require paid leave practices (Deahl). In complete contrast to the current parental leave policy in the United States, countries with stronger practices have been shown to offer great opportunity. For example, Finland gives up to twenty weeks of paid leave to a mother regardless of her career or status as well as up to eight weeks of paid paternal leave (Weller). In Hungary, mothers receive 24 weeks of paid absence at 70% of their salary, and fathers are offered one week of full paid leave (Weller). Many countries similar to Finland and Hungary highly prioritize the well-being of new parents; representing setbacks in the current United States’ policy. Countless American parents and their families are struggling through unfair circumstances of raising newborn children, representing a need for progressive change in the Family Medical Leave Act and the social policy as a whole. The revision of this policy will spark remarkable benefits and create a better working environment for working parents who are not offered protection in the present day. 

In today’s society, there is a great amount of pressure put on balancing one’s career and home life, especially for women. Having a newborn child, both biologically and through adoption, is both emotionally and physically draining on mothers and fathers. It is necessary for parents to give their newborns their undivided attention for the first multiple weeks of their life. This allows parents to build strong relationships with their children immediately. Parents tend to each and every one of their newborn’s needs, which is extremely stressful within itself. On top of this demanding responsibility, many individuals across America have to worry about their absence of payment from work because they are not guaranteed paid absence. In “On Your Mark, Give Birth, Go Back to Work”, Deahl provides the story of Tricia Olson, a mother who has to return to work just three weeks after giving birth. The company Olson worked for did not provide paid maternal leave even though she was a single mother, so this forced to her to go back to work far before she or her child was ready. This action caused Olson to become much more overwhelmed with both her work and home responsibilities, causing her newborn child to adhere to her stress, as well. Similarity in Shorthall’s speech, “The US needs paid family leave — for the sake of its future”, she tells the story of a single mother who did not qualify for FMLA and faced multiple challenges as she tried to balance motherhood and her work life. This individual received no time off to take care of her newborn because she was ineligible for the Family Medical Leave Act; causing her supervisor to fire her instead of providing a supportive working environment. This event sparked waves of conflict and anxiety throughout the entirety of this mother’s life, and stories like this are recurrent throughout the United States. Shorthall states, “88% of working mothers will not get one minute of paid leave after they have a baby”, showing once again how dramatically the American population is affected by the unfairness. In effort for this policy to improve so new mothers like Olson will not have to suffer through these unnecessary challenges, mandating a paid parental leave policy for each individual despite their race, status, or income will strongly benefit parents and their growing families. This change will also contribute to a better overall working environment, for both employees and supervisors.

One of the most significant benefits that mandating paid parental leave can generate is the positive contributions to a mother’s overall health. As the current state of unpaid maternal leave has caused many women to suffer through both psychological and physical stress, numerous experimentations have shown the strong, positive correlation between unfair working conditions and anxiety levels. Through research experiments in “Maternity Leave and Women’s Mental Health”, Hyde et al. studied the relationship between a woman’s work status and her mental state at various points after her pregnancy. Multiple variables were addressed in this experiment, such as where each mother lived, her age, her education and yearly salary as well as infant temperament. These characteristics were controlled in effort to eliminate any inequalities within evaluation (Hyde et al. 265-266). Through this experimentation, Hyde states, “[w]omen employed full time showed elevated levels of psychological distress on the anxiety measure” (278-279). These results were consistent throughout the entirely of Hyde’s research, representing how common risk factors within maternity leave combined with other risk factors can place women at a higher risk of anxiety and depression (257). Hyde’s research also indicates the significance of the quality of work for each mother. The length of leave can greatly affect each mother’s mental state, representing a need for change in American policy. Hyde highlights this point by saying, “the relationship [between length of maternity leave and women’s mental health] depends on the quality of work and family roles”, signifying the importance of a mother’s relationship with her job as well as the benefits that come with it (280). Similar to Hyde’s research, Bloch et al. addresses the relationship between the length and quality of maternity leave through organized surveys. In effort to focus on one group of set individuals to eliminate inconsistencies, Bloch et al. gathered information from a sample of emergency physicians and asked their opinions on current parental leave policies. In total, “36% of women and 18% of men reported dissatisfaction” with the parental leave policies they have experienced because of repeated unfairness (Bloch et al.). In addition to these opinions, the most common suggestions for improvement respondents had include the lengthening of the duration of leave, addressing adoption policies, as well as taking into consideration breastfeeding issues for mothers returning to work (Bloch et al.). Similar to Hyde’s research, the majority of this sample of emergency physicians believed that making these changes would lessen stress put on working mothers as well as contribute to a better working environment (Bloch et al.). In addition to this argument, in Maternity at Work: A Review of National Legislation, Öun and Trujillo provide examples of countries that promote the importance of health and safe working conditions for new mothers (71). Öun et al. states, “[i]n Estonia, pregnant women shall not be required to work during night time […] similar provisions also exist in Lesotho and Panama” (73). In order for the United States to improve its current state of maternal leave, the adoption of similar health standards will allow mothers and their families to grow in a much more positive direction. Since the Family Medical Leave Act does guarantee this support, the United States policy needs to progress in effort to benefit the health of mothers and their children. 

In addition to the mental and psychological improvements to a mother’s health and the betterment of an overall work environment shown by Hyde and Bloch’s research, progressing the current parental leave policy to become longer in duration will also benefit the health of newborns. According to Ruhm, accomplished economics of public policy researcher, more generous paid leave is found to positively impact the overall health of children and reduce mortality rates of infants (931). Since an extended maternal leave will provide women with more time to care for their children, this will set both mothers and their newborns up for success. A longer duration of leave will allow mothers to have more time for rest, which is essential both prepartum and postpartum. Additionally, breastfeeding is essential to both the psychical and cognitive growth in newborns, and implementing a longer paid maternal leave policy will make this much easier for mothers. Breastfeeding provides newborn children with greater resources to improve their health, and implementing a longer leave of absence will only contribute to this benefit (Ruhm 935). Ruhm uses statistics from multiple different parental leave policies to support his argument, stating, “a 10-week increase in paid leave is predicted to reduce infant mortality rates by between 2.5% and 3.4%” (947). In addition to Ruhm’s research, Murtagh et al. argues the importance of breastfeeding on a child’s growth and development as well as how full-time employment for mothers often has a “negative influence on [the] duration of breastfeeding” (Work and Breastfeeding). Currently the Family Medical Leave Act does not facilitate the balancing of breastfeeding and work responsibilities, making it difficult for mothers to take breaks or reduce working hours (Murtagh et al, Federal Laws). Murtagh et al. states, “improving the ability of mothers to breastfeed or to express and store milk in the workplace would likely contribute to higher US breastfeeding rates”, emphasizing the importance of changing the current policy to become longer in duration. Overall, mandating a paid leave policy will greatly improve a mother’s breastfeeding schedule, which will cause immediate and long-term betterments to a child’s health and development. 

As implementing a new policy will spark positive pediatric health outcomes, growing families will also benefit economically. Currently many families are put under great deals of stress because they are not given paid parental leave; however, these challenges can be subdued. In “Parental Leave and Child Health”, Ruhm argues, “parental leave may be a cost-effective method of bettering child health”, highlighting the positive economic impact of a progressive policy (931). Ruhm states, “parental leave may reduce a number of specific health risks during early childhood”, allowing parents to not only avoid health risks for their children, but also the expenses that come with them (953). It is possible for this paid leave to offset other types of federal expenses, such as the public spending on medical services for ill children, which then lowers the overall cost in providing the paid parental leave (Ruhm 955). However, in opposition to Ruhm’s research, Hymowitz argues longer maternity leave also has negative consequences on the financial world. Hymowitz emphasizes that despite positive repercussions that come with longer absences, oftentimes working mothers who take off for extended periods of time are less likely to reach their career goals, setting them back economically. Hymowitz uses statistics from countries with longer maternity leaves, such as Sweden and Norway, to directly promote paternal leave. She emphasizes importance of balancing the responsibility of child care on both parents, instead of solely extending the duration of leave for mothers. Similar to Hymowitz’s argument, Öun et al. provides examples of successful paternal leave policies in other countries. In Uganda, fathers are given four days of paid leave immediately after the delivery of the child, where in Azerbaijan, married male employees are given fourteen days of paternal leave (45). Implementing similar paternal leave policies in the United States will not only promote a better balance for childcare between parents, leading to overall economic advantages, but doing so will also alleviate psychological stress put on mothers. However, in opposition to this argument, some economic conservatives claim paid family leave can cause potential negative impacts on the federal budget and disrupt the workplace. In “Paid Family Leave: Balancing Benefits and Costs”, Holtzer argues the tax burdens put on employers represent a major shortfall in implementing a longer, paid parental leave policy. Although these concerns are present, the physical and psychological improvements for mothers and their children as well as the enhancement of the connection between companies and their parental employees outweigh the possible negative ideas regarding paid parental leave.

The current parental leave policy in the United States has caused numerous challenges to not only working mothers and their growing families, but also the career environment of parental figures. Extensive research, surveys and experimentation on this issue strongly illuminate these problems as well as the need for the current social policy to progress and follow in the footsteps of other forward-thinking nations. Mandating a set duration of paid leave will improve the health of both mothers and their newborn children, facilitate the balance of breastfeeding and work life, benefit families economically as well as progress relationships of parental workers and their employers. Similarly, emphasizing the significance of paid paternal leave will allow mothers to have greater career opportunities and attempt to put a greater balance on the responsibilities of both parents. Implementing a new policy that mandates fourteen weeks of paid leave for mothers and at least one week of paid leave for fathers will benefit many individuals as well as the American society as a whole.
