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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
If I have another kid, I'm moving to Sweden...
I'm reading Child Care Today: Getting It Right For Everyone by Penelope Leach.
I found this bit interesting...
In Sweden, you are given 480 days off of work - 60 of those days must be taken by the father. You receive 80% of your monthly wage for 390 days and then $24 per day after that. You have the right to part-time work at 80% of normal wage until the child is eight.
In the United Kingdom, you are given 365 days off of work. You receive 90% of your monthly wage for 42 days, then $189 per week for 270 days, and then no payment. You have the right to part-time work only at request and only if your request is taken seriously.
In the United States, you are given no time off of work by the government. You are given no equivalent pay, and you do not have the right to part-time work.
Provision of maternity leave by American employers
26% of employers provide four to six weeks of paid maternity leave.
24% provide a maximum of four weeks of paid maternity leave.
48% provide no paid maternity leave.
Paid family leave is available to only 14% of professional or managerial-level employees.
Paid family leave is very rarely available to employees earning less than $15 per hour.
The federal government provides no paid maternity leave or family leave: employees must use sick days or take unpaid time off.
- Institute for Women's Policy Research, 2007
Time to step it up, United States.
I found this bit interesting...
In Sweden, you are given 480 days off of work - 60 of those days must be taken by the father. You receive 80% of your monthly wage for 390 days and then $24 per day after that. You have the right to part-time work at 80% of normal wage until the child is eight.
In the United Kingdom, you are given 365 days off of work. You receive 90% of your monthly wage for 42 days, then $189 per week for 270 days, and then no payment. You have the right to part-time work only at request and only if your request is taken seriously.
In the United States, you are given no time off of work by the government. You are given no equivalent pay, and you do not have the right to part-time work.
Provision of maternity leave by American employers
26% of employers provide four to six weeks of paid maternity leave.
24% provide a maximum of four weeks of paid maternity leave.
48% provide no paid maternity leave.
Paid family leave is available to only 14% of professional or managerial-level employees.
Paid family leave is very rarely available to employees earning less than $15 per hour.
The federal government provides no paid maternity leave or family leave: employees must use sick days or take unpaid time off.
- Institute for Women's Policy Research, 2007
Time to step it up, United States.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: If I have another kid, I'm moving to Sweden...
Agreed.
Well, to be fair..
The personal tax rate in Sweden is nearly 50% and in the US it's nearly 30%...
So they are paying for it....just in a different way.
I bet if we cut our defense budget by a few percentage points it would equal out to at least 6 weeks of paid maternity leave for every woman in this country.
My thoughts exactly.
You are just so right. What was I thinking?
Oh God! How could I forget about those pesky terrorists!!
I just want to play devil's advocate for a minute...
So, say you live in Sweden (UK, Canada, etc. with similar policies) and your company is hiring. ?You have 2 equally qualified candidates, they are both in their late 20s, and recently married. ?One is a man, one is a woman. ?Who would you hire? ?Do you really think they would hire the woman knowing that she is probably going to go on maternity leave and they have to hire and train a temp, possibly multiple times, and pay the woman's salary while she isn't working? ?This issue has got to affect women's advancement and standing in the workplace. ?Yes, it's discriminatory in a way, but not if all else is equal.
I am absolutely NOT saying that the US has it right. ?I think it's atrocious what working mothers have to deal with in this country. ?But I'm just saying that there is another side to this issue and it isn't as black and white as it may seem... ?
Touche, salesman...
Or, in this case, Mustang Sally. :O) Something to look into...