Maternity leave benefits in the United States: today's economic climate underlines deficiencies.
نویسندگان
چکیده
Maternity leave in the United States took a major and long-awaited leap forward on February 5, 1993, when the U.S. Federal Government enacted Public Law 103-3, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 (1). Drafted by the National Partnership for Women and Families (formerly the Women’s Legal Defense Fund), the purpose of the Act is to promote economic stability and preserve family integrity, to entitle employees to take leave for medical reasons to care for a child or other family member, and to provide equal employment opportunity for men and women while minimizing the risk of discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, covered employers are required to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to eligible employees for certain family and medical reasons. Employees are eligible for the benefit if they have worked for their employer for at least 1 year, and for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months, and if there are at least 50 employees within 75 miles. Now, 16 years later and in a declining economy, it is unclear to what degree this legislation has accomplished its original mission. The United States and Australia are the only industrialized countries that do not provide paid leave to women in connection with childbirth. This policy is in opposition to the World Health Organization recommendations for the provision of at minimum 16 weeks of leave after childbirth to ensure optimal growth of the infant, proper bonding between mother and child, and the health of both mother and infant (2).
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Birth
دوره 36 3 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2009