Maternity leave
Becoming a mother is one of the most monumental and exciting moments in a woman's life. However, it can be challenging to fit both motherhood and a career in one's life. To make this transition easier, the United States has a maternity leave policy to ensure women's rights during and after their pregnancies. Other nations also have maternity leave policies. Examining these policies can give a good deal of insight into the values of that country and its society. Until 1993, the United States was one of the few industrialized countries without maternity leave legislation. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted on February 5, 1993 "to grant family and temporary medical leave under certain circumstances." The FMLA requires employers to give eligible pregnant employees unpaid leaves of up to twelve work weeks during any twelve month period. Women must work in firms of at least 50 employees and have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours the previous year. Due to the fact that FMLA is not applicable to small firms, an estimated one-half of workers are left ineligible. Also, because the leave is unpaid, many women chose to work instead of taking a leave. According to the U.S. Commission on Leave, sixty-four percent of employee
Also, in both Germany and France, there are requirements for a leave even after the pregnancy and the weeks following. Germany grants mothers fourteen weeks, while France grants mothers sixteen weeks, even more for a third child or multiple and premature births. For the birth of a third child, eight weeks are allowed before and eighteen weeks after (a total of twenty-sex weeks). s who need to but do not take FMLA leave give the reason that they can't afford the loss of pay. For insured mothers, benefits equal 80 percent of earnings for up to sixteen weeks for the first and second child, twenty-six weeks for subsequent children and forty-six weeks for multiple births. In both countries, this additional maternity leave is paid and the job is protected. Germany also has a maternity leave policy. Also, they have more opportunities to take a maternity leave after the child has become a toddler or if the child becomes ill. The United States policy concerning maternity leave is considered very lacking when it is compared to the policies of Germany and France. German women are entitled to a fourteen week job-protected, paid maternity leave. The law also requires that group health benefits be maintained during the leave. For multiple births, forty-two is given, twenty-four of which must be postnatal. In France, women workers are eligible for a paid, job-protected maternity leave six weeks before and ten weeks after the births of the first two children (a total of sixteen weeks). For each child under twelve years old, a working parent has ten days of paid leave to look after a sick child, up to a maximum of twenty-five days per year for each child.
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