Hellobee Boards

Wow! Wouldn't that be amazing???

That's a huge increase. That would be INCREDIBLE and would make it so that I would think about having another if I could time that 6 months with summer break to make it closer to 9.

@locavore_mama: I was only paid for 4 weeks of the 6 weeks of "paid" maternity leave because of the waiting period. And that was for short term disability that I had to opt and pay into.

@mediagirl: my guess it would be a system like unemployment insurance, where workers pay for it themselves.

@locavore_mama: it's different per state, per plan, etc. This is stating it would be Federally regulated.

@jedeve: that would be great! I was only paid my vacation/sick/personal time. I could've extended my 7 weeks, but it would've been unpaid and didn't make sense since DH could work from home during the days.

ETA same about FMLA, my work is too small of a business, but they are pretty generous and very flexible with helping me out.

@MrsKoala: I like the sound of this, its about time we have better maternity leave like England and Canada

I always wonder why this is never a main topic at elections, they mainly talk about healthcare, abortion, same sex marriage. but how about Maternity leave!!

@mediagirl: It would definitely cost the American taxpayer, but the health and general welfare of moms and their newborns should be a priority. I was an absolute mess at 6 weeks. To even think about going back to work would have put me in a tailspin. I doubt the US will ever provide more progressive maternity/parental leave benefits, but i do hope Americans look past the costs and think about the benefits to society as a whole. Also, to my knowledge there aren't any state/federal laws mandating maternity benefits. Maybe i'm being naive, but i think the government needs to set a better minimum and companies will follow suit. I am not trying to sound smug about being Canadian but i am lucky that not only do i get 52 weeks of protected leave, but my company tops up 17 weeks of pay. I don't think that would have happened without Canada's laws around maternity benefits.

@MrsKoala: I really do hope this gets things moving in the right direction.

I want to support enhanced maternity leave benefits, I really do. I got 7 months off, but only 3 were government mandated, the remaining 4 were because of my length of service with my employer. It will cost us in taxes and we Americans hate anything that will cause our taxes to go up.

I think extended maternity leave alone isn't the answer. It is only part of the equation, that should include subsidized day care for all families, year round public schools and walk in clinics for child health consulting services for the first 5 years of life.

This would never actually pass, but I suppose getting more people to talk about the possibility can't hurt. I signed it.

I agree with @Freckles: I'm willing to pay some higher taxes for better maternity leave. Not that I think I'll need it again in the future, but for my fellow womenfolk, I think longer than 6-12 weeks would be awesome.

@looch: I agree with you, and you offer some great points. Does the US offer subsidies for low-income families? Quebec offers subsidized daycare for all families regardless of income, and some provinces have started or are starting to provide full-day kindergarten in public schools. DH's employer provides their employees with a $2500/yr child subsidy...it's not much but any bit helps.

@pinkcupcake: I feel like there will be a backlash though, which makes me sad.

@locavore_mama: yes, agree! and the daycare tax credit and dependent care accounts which are woefully outdated shoukd be updated. 5k a year max; that's 4 months of actual daycare tuition expenses for me, and our daycare isn't insanely pricey.

@looch: It's definitely a lot easier to fill a more junior role for 1 year, as it's a great stepping stone for younger employees to get experience. A lot of my friends after graduation started off filling in 1 year mat leaves and sometimes another position will open up or the person they're filling in for won't come back so they end up staying there.

For more senior positions, we post internally/externally. Internally, it would be a secondment and an opportunity for someone to get more management experience. For my situation, we were lucky in that a former employee expressed interest in coming back and he took over my role for a year.

ETA: Maybe it's just me, but i think everyone is replaceable. We try to plan ahead of time and make sure that the new person is trained prior to the expectant mother going on leave. Luckily, the laws are in place so i can't easily get pushed out when i get back (at least not without a fight).

@Freckles: there is but I'm sure you probably have to be below poverty level!

This would be nice, but it states some things that aren't really accurate. I work for a state university and while I can get 12 weeks of leave, it is only paid if I use my vacation/sick time.

@looch: here, here

Decent maternity leave should be a tool companies use to attract talented people.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: agree!!! I often hear even on here on some of the amazing maternity benefits some of us US mamas get due to their company's generosity.

@locavore_mama: I think it's more forward thinking than generosity! If the mom decides she doesn't want to return to work then you have to look for someone new, and the costs associated with a new hire are greater than most people think!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/05/09/is-maternity-leave-in-america-changing-for-the-better/

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2013/03/08/55683/the-united-states-needs-to-guarantee-paid-maternity-leave/

@locavore_mama: Someone may have said this already, but how long you get paid out of your 12 weeks of job protection under FMLA varies from state to state. For example, in PA, you don't receive any payment unless you have a short term disability policy with your company. But there are some companies who don't even offer that...so it's the full 12 weeks unpaid.

Even given that, I would still welcome the 24 weeks of job protection!