US Mothers Being Denied Paid Maternity Leave, Report Shows
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November 10, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
A new report has found that almost half of new mothers in the US are not receiving paid maternity leave.
The report, put together by the Census Bureau and published Thursday, on highlights the financial problems that women may face if they decide to have children. Unlike most countries, the US has no federal policy regarding paid parental leave, although the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act allows mothers working in companies with over 50 employees to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave.
According to the report, women with a lower level of education are most badly affected, being four times more likely to be denied paid leave than women who have graduated from college. For women who have high school diplomas or less, their chance of receiving paid maternity leave is actually decreasing, with those obtaining benefits dropping from 26% in the period of 2001 to 2005, to just 18% between 2006 and 2008.
Hispanic women were less likely than other groups to receive paid leave, despite being the group with the most children. Kathleen Gerson, a professor of sociology at New York University, said: “This isn’t good news for women at the bottom, and the irony is that the people with the most children are now the least likely to have the supports they need.”
Professor Gerson sees the broader impact that the lack of paid maternity leave for those who most need it may have on the US. She said: “This has important implications for the well-being of children in this country if children are being born to families with less education and even fewer economic resources.”
The report comes at a time of even wider income inequality in the US, which is a result of a slowing growth at lower-income levels.
By Nicola Groves
[Image courtesy of schwangerschaft]