Paid Parental Leave In The United States

Words: 618

Pages: 3

Open Document

Parents across the United States face a dilemma: going to work while trying to raise and spend quality time with their children. Some parents lose their jobs to stay at home and take care of their children because their employers do not allow them to take days off. Parental leave in the United States is nonexistent when compared with European nations such as Sweden, which offers fifteen months of guaranteed paid maternity or parental leave. The United States ranks as one of the world’s elite powers, but regarding parental leave policies, the country is situated at the bottom of the rankings. If we live in a country that stresses family values, then why does this country not provide family-oriented legislation? A parent’s duty is to raise and spend time with their children, yet this country does not allow for a mother and/or father to bond with their children during the most important yeas of their lives. It is time for the United States to catch-up with their European counterparts. Most Eastern European countries already had comprehensive incentive packages before 1989. Some companies have taken this issue into their hands and have offered their employees paid …show more content…
Prospective parents do not want to have children where they cannot spend time with them; they wish to bond with their children. However, parents cannot afford to lose work because they will not be able to maintain the household. If couples do not have children, the fertility rate in the country will decrease, and it will have drastic consequences in the long-term. Without a future young workforce, there will be nobody to maintain the social security system. Thus, many older people would have to postpone retirement or work until they die to help them pay for expenses. Some studies show that paid parental leave resulted in lower rates of infant and child mortality, and lower juvenile delinquency

The Benefits Of Paid Parental Leave

birth.” Paid parental leave provides paid time off work to care for or make arrangements for the well-being of a child or dependent family member. The United States is the only on one who does not provide paid parental leave. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics only 12% of American have access to paid parental leave, which is considered a benefit by employers. The United States should have paid parental leave because it can improve the lives of women in many ways. Paid Parental leave would…

Words 681 - Pages 3

Persuasive Essay On Maternity Leave

country prioritized families by their parental leave policies. While some countries pass laws that require employers offer a substantial amount of paid time off to employees to care for their children after birth or adoption, other countries only require a minimal amount of unpaid time be offered to “eligible” employees. What is an appropriate amount of time for new parents to take off of work for the birth or adoption of their child, and what should they be paid during this time, if anything? This…

Words 774 - Pages 4

Paid Parental Leave Legislation

The United States is the only developed country to not have a paid parental leave legislation on the books. This is a compelling issue because research has shown that there are many benefits to providing paid parental leave. Studies in Australia and Sweden show that passing paid parental leave can have a positive impact on life satisfaction, child mortality rates, child cognitive development, family bonding, parental stress, and an increase in breastfeeding rates. The United States (U.S.) has taken…

Words 606 - Pages 3

Paid Parental Leave

main stresses pertain to parental leave. The thought of leaving a new child can be heart breaking especially when having to return back to work sooner rather than later. The United States is one of the last developed countries to not require paid parental leave to parents. Some argue that this should be the sole responsibility of the parents. While parents do take much of the responsibility in this issue, the laws and regulations should be improved to cover paid parental leave for the mental and physical…

Words 1092 - Pages 5

Paid Leave Pros And Cons

Paid Leave: The Importance and Economic Benefits within the United States Questions involving mandating paid leave within the United States have become more popular as an escalating amount of developed countries around the world require it. In an article written by Nita Ghei, negative aspects of paid parental leave were speciously indicated. However, recent studies have shown that paid leave is not only beneficial to families but also to the economy. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows…

Words 984 - Pages 4

Should Father's Receive Paternity Leave Essay

Receive Paid Paternity Leave In this day in age we find ourselves wondering if is feasible for men to get paid paternity leave, since women get paid maternity leave after they have their baby. You have to really think about this though, because not all companies pay women to take maternity leave. So why would we pay our men to take paternity leave when not all women get paid when they have no choice but to take off after having a baby. So I want you to ask yourself, “Should father’s get paid for…

Words 1162 - Pages 5

Justina's Argument Analysis

Justina's argument is that everyone should have access to paid leave when you have a child so you are able to be with your child in its early weeks of life. I do not feel the opposing viewpoints have been stated clearly. For example, is the cost for employers an issue, or even government regulations? Within the second paragraph, I found that the following sentences were lacking explanation, "Some potential issues I will face are making my point clear and concise enough to change someone’s mind while…

Words 473 - Pages 2

Walmart Parental Leave

Walmart will soon offer better parental leave than most U.S. companies. The new policy for biological parents, announced in January, will go into effect on March 1, according to a company spokesperson. The company already has rolled out a more generous policy for adoptive parents. This matters because America remains one of just three countries without paid maternity leave, and Walmart is America's biggest employer. With 1.5 million U.S. employees, its workforce is bigger than the populations of…

Words 1505 - Pages 7

Gender Equality In Pay Essay

time off, there is no reason why their male counterparts make a higher salary. As one can see in [Graph 1], countries that require a higher amount of paid parental leave have a wider gender pay gap, however the U.S. does not require any paid parental leave, yet a gender pay gap still exists. This information debunks the idea that women are generally paid lower than men because they take time off for maternal…

Words 823 - Pages 4

USAd Sweden: A Comparative Analysis

providing privileges and benefits to families within their national lines appear to be similar. Unexpectedly, many western countries hold different regulations in context with the family. These differences become apparent when the policies of the United States and Sweden are compared. By comparing and contrasting the official laws of the two nations, it is possible to reach conclusions about the way each respective government affects family’s experiences. In Sweden, government-given privileges for…

Words 642 - Pages 3