Impact of Unpaid Maternity Leave on Mothers

This day in age, many women are choosing to not have children, or are influenced by factors that should have any weight towards their decision to start a family. With the price of living increasing by year, women cannot afford to take time off work for maternity leave, being that many employers do not support this benefit. After conceiving a child, the health outcomes are dependent on a healthy mother. In order for a new mother to be in optimal health, time is needed to heal, recover and adjust to a new life with an infant. When a new mother returns to work postpartum, the likelihood of breastfeeding the infant decreases. There are many known, proven facts to support the overall benefits of breastfeeding. We are stripping mothers of their right to properly nurture and care for new born infants.

Though the number of working women with infants, under 12 months of age, has increased dramatically from 30% in 1975, to 58% in 1998, the U.S was one of four countries that did not mandate paid leave for new mothers. The U.S was the only developed country to do so (2014). In our day of age, women are taking up about half of our work force. Why are they not granted the paid time needed, to care for their newborn and themselves postpartum? Job security, prolonged, and paid maternity leaves could be the most efficient way to improve and maintain maternal-infant wellness.

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In addition, most women return to work sooner because they cannot financially afford to stay home for 12 weeks of unpaid leave, and care for their newborn and themselves. Furthermore, the disadvantages continue for new mothers when returning to work. University of Massachusetts sociologist, Michelle Budig, found that once women return to work, their salary averagely drops by 4% for each child that they conceive, while a man’s salary rises an average 6% for each child he has. While the U.S disregards the significance of maternal-infant health, women in countries including the United Kingdom, France and Australia receive between 14 and 52 weeks of paid maternity leave (2014). They have seen that when women are granted maternity leave for a duration exceeding 12 weeks, newborns are breast fed longer, a noticed decrease in postpartum complications, and an increase in timely infant immunization appointments.

There are many health benefits that support reasons why women should receive extended maternity leave. When a mother returns to work shortly after delivery, it is nearly impossible for her to maintain a consistent breastfeeding schedule for her child. Breastfeeding is known for its major benefits for both mother and infant. It is known for reducing the risks of sudden infant death syndrome, transferring antibodies, which allow the infant to fight illness, promotes oxytocin release, which helps the uterus contract, while reducing blood loss, and helps reduce the risk of cancer for both mother and infant. According to a study published in a pediatric journal, the U.S could save up to $13.5 billion a year in medical costs, if 90% of women had the opportunity to breast feed their infants for 6 months or longer. Breastfeeding is a major concern for women returning to work after a short maternity leave. Women struggle to find time to work, while also maintaining a normal feeding schedule for their infant. Most physicians will recommend breastfeeding an infant for up to 12 months, if the mother can manage, due to the increased benefits for the infant. The American Academy of Pediatrics stated: “The AAP continues to support the unequivocal evidence that breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and conditions in the infant, such as bacteremia, diarrhea, respiratory tract infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, otitis media, urinary tract infection, late-onset sepsis in preterm infants, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, leukemia, childhood overweight and obesity”. If facts have proven to defend against many of these diseases, why is it not a priority to ensure that mothers are able to offer their child these benefits.

New mothers benefit from breastfeeding their child as well. According to the AAP, maternal health benefits include decreased postpartum bleeding and more rapid uterine involution, decreased menstrual blood loss and increased child spacing (lactational amenorrhea), earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight, and decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. There are additional health benefits associated with paid maternity leave for new mothers. Aline Butikofer, a professor who writes journals for NHH, stated: “Various aspects of metabolic health improved for mothers who were eligible for the reform. That is, access to maternity leave benefits improved mothers’ BMI, blood pressure, pain, and mental health, and it increased health-promoting behaviors, such as exercise and not smoking”. She also proceeded to discuss how breastfeeding mothers can prevent future diseases by simply breast feeding their child. She stated: “Increased breastfeeding duration plays a role in generating the health improvements. In particular, they find suggestive empirical evidence that decreased the risk of breast and ovarian cancer”.

When mothers aren’t given enough time to adjust to motherhood, employers could notice an effect on work performance. An article written on ‘The Nest’ speaks on the effects of maternity leave on job performance. The article discusses reasons as to why a short maternity leave might affect a women’s job performance, stating that “most moms aren't able to pump breast-milk for their babies while working. Breastfed babies tend to get sick a lot less than formula-fed babies. The guilt of their babies getting sick, along with the guilt of taking time away from work, can cause a strain on any working woman's performance”.

There are some laws that have been regulated to help pregnant women and new mothers keep their preterm jobs, which also come with setbacks. These laws don’t apply to every maternal woman. In 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was established to assist full time working women with unpaid maternity leave (2013). Unfortunately, the FMLA only applies to 20% of new mothers in the United States. To receive the benefits of this law, a woman must have worked 1,250 hours the year preceding childbirth, for companies that employ more than 50 employees. Though the FMLA was established to protect full time, working new mothers, there are many setbacks to this act. The FMLA states that “you can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in any 12-month period for the birth of your baby”. Though this act protects the integrity of a woman’s job, it does not sustain any form of income for those 3 months, and allows women the minimal time possible to recover and adjust. According to FamilyEducation.com, though you must be restored to an equivalent position with equal benefits upon return, this doesn’t apply to employees in the top 10% compensation bracket.

Though some laws and regulations have been established, and vary between states, California is 1 of 5 states that offer mothers, paid pregnancy, and maternity leave through temporary state disability insurance (2013). SDI provides partial pay up to 4 weeks prior to delivery and 6 to 8 weeks after delivery with an extension for up to 6 weeks postpartum through the Paid Family Leave Program (2015). SDI is not job protected leave, and some of these women should have additional protection from the Family Medical Leave Act. Since being established, these laws have not proven to correct the deficit women face. The laws provide the minimal amount of support needed for a woman recovering from childbirth. Many laws need to be reformed or modified to better benefit new mothers. Many women also claim that they were unaware of the available government assistance, decreasing the financial burden of new motherhood.

Though women face many setbacks by taking maternity leave, evidence has shown that this has not prevented or deterred women from taking maternity leave. Though women aren’t pleased with the limited options provided upon leave, women will still take the time off allowed to care for their newborn and themselves. According to an article released by Time, “an average of 273,000 women take maternity leave every month. That number has held steady between 1994 and 2015, with no trend upward or downward”. It is disappointing that this number has not risen over time. With the recent political attention that this topic has faced in previous years, and with the influx of proven benefits, it is surprising that some women do not take leave. This can be due to lack of knowledge regarding laws established to provide maternity leave and protect women from discrimination. The department of labor explained that only 12% of women who work for private companies will have access to paid maternity leave in this next year. Though many countries have modified laws to better benefit childbearing mothers, the U.S has not made substantial improvements within the decade to provide women with such benefits. The article from Time stated that “this is a very low figure for the nation with the world’s largest annual gross domestic product”.

Lack of knowledge contributes to whether women decide on returning to work earlier then they should. Many women are unaware of the additional help that is available to them, when an employer does not cover them for leave. Evidence shows that public awareness of SDI, and PFL programs in California are low, especially among low-income, minority and young respondents, suggesting the need for education and outreach to promote maternity leave uptake (2015). It is also important for women to know their rights and the various maternity leave laws. Federal laws have been passed to protect women who are pregnant or on maternity leave. An article published by ‘FamilyEducation.com’ stated which rights are protected by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The act which was passed in 1978 gives pregnant women the same medical rights as everyone else and prohibits job discrimination. The article states: “Your employer cannot fire you because you are pregnant. Your employer cannot force you to take mandatory maternity leave. You must be granted the same health, disability and sickness-leave benefits as any other employee who has a medical condition. You must be given modified tasks, alternate assignments, disability leave or leave without pay (depending on company policy). You are allowed to work as long as you can perform your job. You are guaranteed job security during your leave. During your leave, you continue to accrue seniority and remain eligible for pay increases and benefits”. It is very important for a woman to know her rights when she is pregnant. Laws like these protect women from being treated differently due to pregnancy. Many women are unfamiliar to the laws that protect them, and many policies established by the employer. A new mother can make better choices for themselves and their infant when they remain well informed of their rights and protection.

Besides lack of knowledge, paid maternity leave should be available to women, because the health of the mother and infant can be negatively impacted. Working up until full term, and returning to work 12 weeks or sooner, both mother and infant are at risk for problems. Postponing return shows results that protect against complications during labor and delivery, and low birth weight or small for gestational age infants (2014). Working up until a woman is full term has showed to cause increased stress and can affect the outcome of their delivery. Leaving work prior to reaching term has shown that the risk of cesarean section is decreased, along with a reduction in postpartum depression (2013). Almost all European countries offer an average of 14 months of paid maternity leave before returning to their pre-birth jobs, because they find the importance of mother-infant bonding and longevity of breastfeeding (2013).

To provide health and wellness for both mother and child, pregnant women and new mothers need to be granted the time, financial stability and job protection needed for them to attain the best health possible. Without granting them this right, children will be born underweight, nutritionally deprived, at risk for more diseases, and unable to fight illness as well as others. Mothers will also be susceptible to obesity, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and cancer. If women are provided with the knowledge and benefits of maternity leave, they can ensure that their health decisions are based on the best interest for both mother, and child’s well-being, while allowing them to demand a moral right, that should unquestionably be given.

References

1. “Benefits of Breastfeeding”. AAP.org, http://aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Breastfeeding/Pages/Benefits-of-Breastfeeding.aspx
2. Budig, M., PhD. (2015, February). The Motherhood Penalty Vs. the Fatherhood Bonus: Parenthood and the Gender Gap in Pay. http://Content-thirdway.org/publications/853/NEXT_-_Fatherhood_Motherhood.pdf
3. Caldwell, Christina. “The Effect of Maternity Leave on Employee Performance”. Woman, 14 July 2016, http://woman.thenest.com/effect-maternity-leave-employee-performance-16538.html
4. Employment Characteristics of Families Summary. (2016). Economic News Release - Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm
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7. MacMillan, Amanda. “Why So Few Women Take Maternity Leave”. Time, Time, 19 Jan. 2017, http://time.com/4639269/maternity-leave-rates/
8. “Maternity Leave Laws: What Are Your Rights?” FamilyEducation, 2 May 2008, http://familyeducation.com/pregnancy/maternity-leave/maternity-leave-laws-what-are-your-rights
9. Shepherd-Banigan, M., & Bell, J. F. (2014). Paid Leave Benefits Among a National Sample of Working Mothers with Infants in the United States. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 18(1), 286-95. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-013-1264-3.
10. “The Impact of Paid Maternity Leave on Maternal Health”. NHH, http://nhh.no/en/research-centres/fair/news/2018/april/the-impact-of-paid-maternity-leave-on-maternal-health/