Did you know that the U.S. is the only developed country that doesn’t have paid parental leaveat the national level? You don’t have to take my word for it though - the data speaks for itself.
Check out the graph below for a comparison of paid leave available to new mothers in the U.S. versus others countries (a full list tracked by the OECD can be found here).
I wanted to flag this for you because a working mom's ability to breastfeed directly correlates with the amount of maternity leave she’s granted. In fact, for women who initiate breastfeeding, a Pediatrics study found that “each week of work leave increased breastfeeding duration by ∼0.5 week.”
You might be thinking, “What about FMLA?” The Family Medical Leave Act only stipulates that companies protect their employee’s job and continue to pay their portion of the health insurance. Those 12 weeks can be completely unpaid, and the employee is only eligible for FMLA if they’ve worked for their employer at least 12 months (for at least 1,250 hours over those 12 months) and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees.
In other words, we’ve even made it difficult for new mothers to come back to work after taking unpaid time off. So, if a mom is the breadwinner for her family, a lack of paid maternity leave may completely quash her desire to breastfeed.
American families deserve better. My hope is that that we can continue to add voices to the drum beat advocating for stronger regulation. In the meantime, we can help guide companies to a compromise that balances the needs of working moms with the company's strategy and bottom line.
A step toward national paid maternity leave is a massive leap for boobbaticals.
Amanda Bond Founder, Boobbatical LLC
Maternity Leave Considerations
Duration and compensation for maternity leaves in the U.S. are all over the place - here are some tips for creating your policy.
