Maternity and Paternity Leave for Americans
It's time for Americans to have maternity and paternity leave.
The United States of America is one of the only countries in the world that doesn't offer paid leave to new mothers and fathers. This petition is asking for Congress and the White House to change that.
By not having paid maternity and paternity leave, we turn pregnancy from a joyous event into one full of worry and stress. Instead of looking forward to their child, most American parents are trying to figure out how much time they can take off-and if any of it will be paid.
The statistics support maternity and paternity leave:
-Right now only 13% of Americans have access to paid family leave through their employer and only 37% have personal medical leave provided through an employer.
-A quarter of all poverty spells in the United States are because of having a baby.
-Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality).
- Paid leave improves worker retention, which saves employers money through reduced turnover cost.
Facts from http://www.momsrising.org/issues_and_resources/maternity
How do other countries compare?
-Canada guarantees at least 15 weeks of paid maternity leave, with some employee cost-sharing as part of the national employment insurance system. Parental leave is 37 weeks shared between both parents with similar payments. There is also child care support of $100 per month for children under six.
-The United Kingdom allows women to take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave (including 39 weeks with pay), in addition to a range of options for paternity leave.
-Australia offers up to 18 weeks of parental leave with financial support, and at 5.8 percent its unemployment rate is lower than ours. The conservative Australian government didn?t embrace this policy grudgingly; they made it a centerpiece of their campaign platform and want to extend it to 26 weeks with more financial support.
Facts from http://blog.dol.gov/2014/09/22/guess-whos-leading-on-paid-leave-hint-not-us/
Please support families by mandating and offering comprehensive maternity and paternity leave of 24 weeks following a childbirth.
By not having paid maternity and paternity leave, we turn pregnancy from a joyous event into one full of worry and stress. Instead of looking forward to their child, most American parents are trying to figure out how much time they can take off-and if any of it will be paid.
The statistics support maternity and paternity leave:
-Right now only 13% of Americans have access to paid family leave through their employer and only 37% have personal medical leave provided through an employer.
-A quarter of all poverty spells in the United States are because of having a baby.
-Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality).
- Paid leave improves worker retention, which saves employers money through reduced turnover cost.
Facts from http://www.momsrising.org/issues_and_resources/maternity
How do other countries compare?
-Canada guarantees at least 15 weeks of paid maternity leave, with some employee cost-sharing as part of the national employment insurance system. Parental leave is 37 weeks shared between both parents with similar payments. There is also child care support of $100 per month for children under six.
-The United Kingdom allows women to take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave (including 39 weeks with pay), in addition to a range of options for paternity leave.
-Australia offers up to 18 weeks of parental leave with financial support, and at 5.8 percent its unemployment rate is lower than ours. The conservative Australian government didn?t embrace this policy grudgingly; they made it a centerpiece of their campaign platform and want to extend it to 26 weeks with more financial support.
Facts from http://blog.dol.gov/2014/09/22/guess-whos-leading-on-paid-leave-hint-not-us/
Please support families by mandating and offering comprehensive maternity and paternity leave of 24 weeks following a childbirth.
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