Parental Leave Of Extended Essay

Most parents who experience the opportunity to have a child hope to receive time off from work for personal reasons. Mothers and fathers want to be there for their baby’s first moments, to adjust to their new lifestyle, or need to be home to take care of their sick child. There are many parental leave policies nationally and regionally that people will debate against whether they benefit or hinder mothers and fathers.

In 1993, an act was passed in the United States, which entailed men and women, the access to 12 weeks of unpaid leave of absence. This act is called the Family and Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA). With FMLA, it is typically a requirement to inform your employer about your expected leave of absence at least 30 days in advance

(American Pregnancy Association, “Maternity Leave”). “FMLA leave covers both birth and adoptive parents, but if both parents work for the same employer, their total allowance is limited to 12 weeks” (Ray, “A Detailed Look”). It is very refreshing to see that this policy is not only restricted to biological parents and is available to parents who are adopting as well. It allows all parents to receive equal rights to being with their child for the first few weeks at home. There is a policy known as short-term disability, which covers your salary for a certain number of weeks due to medical reasons. The duration of time can vary by company, the type of insurance policy that you have, or if there is some kind of complication during the birthing process (American Pregnancy Association, “Maternity Leave”). For example, this policy could work well for women who had to have a cesarean section at birth. With the exception of some states, national parental leave policies are pretty much the same nationwide. The regional level policies are not too different from the national level.
However, the states of Florida and Michigan both do not have any personal laws or policies specifically made for parental leave options. They use the national federal laws, which include the Family and Medical Leave of Absence Act and the Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act can protect against employers who show discrimination toward pregnant women. “An employer may not fire or demote an employee simply because she is pregnant, nor require a woman to stop working due to pregnancy if she is physically able to do her job” (Guerin, “Maternity Leave Rights in Florida”). This act definitely can help women in cases where they are put on bed rest for the rest of their term or for a number of other reasons.
In the state of California, they do have their own laws made up for parental leaves. The Paid Family Leave Act was put into place in 2002 for parents who have newborn children or a child who is severely sick and needs help being taken care of at home. This policy includes paid time off from work, however it only exceeds up to six weeks. You also need certification to prove that your requested time off is legitimate to your employers (Employment Development Dept., “Paid Family Leave”). This is a great policy for companies to have because it would benefit families in so many ways financially.
My opinion on the parental leave policies is that the time duration of absence should be extended. I do not believe that roughly around six weeks is enough time for parents who are experiencing a vital part of their newborn baby’s first year. They need time to adapt to their new lives, with another person involved in their everyday lives. As well as bonding with the child and adjusting to those countless numbers of sleepless nights. If a child is seriously sick and needs a parent at home, that is also an imperative because a mother or father needs to be present with them due to the health state they are in and if a parent can’t get at least some time off for this, it could be detrimental for a family in certain situations.
The policies could be improved by making minor adjustments to policies.

For example, I think mothers should be able to get a few more weeks off because they are typically the ones who are more involved in the child’s life. Mothers in today’s society are viewed as a baby’s primary focal point and main necessity after birth. They are the ones who carry the child for nine months, creating an emotional bond and attachment, doing the breast-feeding, waking up in the middle of the night to the baby crying, etc. However, I also believe that fathers should be able to get more than a few days or a week off because their connection with their baby could be negatively affected by the short allotted time that they receive before they have to return back to work. Both parents deserve the right to spend time with their child, whether it is because they were just born or because they are sick and need to be looked after and cared for. It would be beneficial not only for the parents, but also for the child. I also believe that the policies should have paid leave in the national levels because that’s what a majority of states follow and parents do not deserve to suffer because of a child being brought into the world or because they are sick. These are the times when money is a crucial component in parents’ lives; so not receiving compensation while away can cause a drastic hardship on a

family.
Parental leave policies could have an important impact on gender equality because it could lead society to view the roles of parenting differently through the maternal and paternal leave time durations. Since the duration of the time off is longer for the mother, people automatically view fathers not as significant, or less important. I think that ideally both parents should receive roughly the same amount of time off. "Parental leave allows both parents to spend that quality time with their child” (St. Michael’s Hospital, “Parental Leave Policies”). Both parents deserve the right to bond with the child, get to nurture them and adapt to having a new young one in the house. If anything, mothers deserve an extra week or so due to recovery circumstances, such as birth complications; but the same time duration shows equal gender equality.
In conclusion, parental leave policies are a vital aspect for parents in the United States. The policies vary by state, but most states reference the national level policies given. There are a few states that have exceptions, who have created their own laws, but regardless every American citizen who has a child or is about to give birth to one has the right to time off from work to attend to what is most important at the moment, which is their baby.