You probably already know the United States has some of the worst parental leave laws in the world. Among the 41 countries that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. is the only onewith no guaranteed paid time off to care for a new baby. But it’s hard to say how these laws actually affect new parents, since no federal agency collects data on how many workers take parental leave. A few recent analyses, however, might offer some clues.
It turns out that few American mothers take maternity leave and their numbers haven’t changed significantly since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began asking more than 20 years ago, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health. Less educated new mothers are less likely to take long leaves, In These Timesmagazine found in 2015. Being unable to afford leave is probably an important factor: In 2004, California enacted its own paid parental leave law, but it only guaranteed new parents 55 percent of their original paycheck, up to a limit. A survey found that one-third of eligible workers passed on leave because it didn’t pay them enough. That means the kids of poor parents are less likely to reap the benefits of paid maternity leave, which is associated with babies breastfeeding for longer and receiving all their recommended immunizations.
[For more of this story, written by Francie Diep, go to https://psmag.com/why-do-so-fe...d4d8de474#.ekp342swv]
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