The young mother returned to work three months after the baby was born. She is deeply guilty of leaving her young son in the care of strangers, but reluctantly accepts the reality of working parents living in the United States. Tragically, her son died of unknown causes within the first hours of entering the day care center. Do such incidents have anything to do with America’s lackluster maternity leave standards? A new documentary, Maternity Leave, delves into the topic.
The United States is one of only two countries in the world that does not mandate maternity leave for all working parents. After the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, while a small group of businesses offered up to three months of paid time off, 88 percent of American women were employed by businesses that did not. Lawmakers have been slow to recognize or respond to the crisis, with many believing that further regulation would place a heavy burden on the corporate sector. But what does this say about the country’s investment in true family values?
According to the film, the lack of maternity leave opportunities for working women in the United States affects the gender pay gap, stress and illness, poverty, and general perceptions of the value of women in the workplace. By forcing a new mother to return to work in the days or weeks after giving birth, her child is deprived of critical moments of bonding, increasing the likelihood of troubled youth, rising crime, infant mortality and a troubled future Increased economic and social instability escalation.
The filmmakers traveled to Sweden, where the government mandates maternity leave of up to 60 weeks, and then to Papua New Guinea, the only country with lower leave standards than the United States. The contrast between the two countries is startling.
In the US, discussions on paid parental leave have been hampered by bitter partisanship in Washington. But people have the power to create meaningful change. Maternity leave has spurred a concerted public outcry against U.S. policies that harm working families.
Directed by: Tracy Wares
