Maternity Leave

USA has 2 kinds of law. 1. State law meaning a law passed by a state like New York. That law applies only to those who live in New York. 2. Federal Law. This is a law passed by the Federal Congress in Washington. Federal law covers all the 50 states of U.S.

When a mother gives birth, the father stops working to help his wife and children survive for maybe 2 months. The mother is physically weak after giving birth and must breastfeed the baby for months. The husband helps in the caring of the other children in the household work of cleaning washing, cooking, preparing the children for school etc. The rule of no work, no pay is fair because the employed father is not fired for being absent for months. Finally, no work no pay begs the question, where will the husband get money to feed family send children to school, pay the monthly expenses for food water, light etc.

The world saw the need to support the family for a limited period until the mother recovers her strength and can do housework again. So, the general rule is nations allow husbands to go on leave when wives give birth. The absentee husband is not fired for being absent. The family gets money from the government to cover all expenses for 3 to 4 months. This is maternity leave though today it is called paid leave for new mothers/babies. Today, U.S.A (the world’s richest nation) and Papua New Guinea (one of the world’s poorest nations) have something in common. They are the only nations with no Federal Laws and policies regarding maternity/paid leave. The average rich nation (U.K., Japan, France, Germany, etc.) gives 18 weeks of paid leave to families who had just given birth. American husbands who go on leave because their wife gave birth lose billions of lost salary/income. US great dancer Isadora Duncan once asked, “With what price do we pay for the glory of mother?”

In the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, the Republicans and Democrats evaded this issue. The problem is both political parties cannot agree on where to get the money to let the family live when mama gives birth and papa goes on leave. The rest of the world took special steps to help the family. We changed our laws so that if the father/mother works in the gov’t, the GSIS pays, if father/mother works in the private sector, the SSS helps. If both spouses are jobless, the national policy is to support the helpless family through the DSWD, Lingap, Malasakit and the pork barrels of the senator, Congressman, Local officials like mayor, Gov, etc.

It’s true that US became what it is today through hard work and sacrifices. The world admires America’s rugged individualism that won the west. Only 8 of the 50 American states have paid maternity leave laws like New York. However, I believe US has a moral handicap regarding maternity paid leave. Rickey as Humphey Bogart in the 1942 Warmer Bros film Casablanca “I stick my neck out for nobody”, Mad’s Magazine’s by line of Alfred Neumann’s “What? Me worry?”, Rhett Butler as Clark Gable in MGM’s 1938 Film “Gone with the Wind” saying to, Scarlet O’hara “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, “What’s in it for me” and “take care of yourself cause you’re the only one you’ve got”. Reflects extreme U.S rugged individualism. What is USA’s message to its young when Mama gives birth?