Table of Contents
Abstract
This paper explores the importance of paid maternity leave based on rates of PPD (Postpartum Depression), infant development and breastfeeding, and how the US compares to other developed countries world-wide. It was found that 6.5% to 12.9% of women experience postpartum depression symptoms, and these rates are only higher for lower-income families (Stewart et al., 2017). According to a study by Kornfiend et. al, mothers who took less than 12 weeks of leave showed higher rates of depressive symptoms and each week less at home was correlated with a higher amount of reported depressive symptoms. Unfortunately, despite all the proven benefits of longer paid maternity leave, only 13% of all US workers and even less low wage workers have access to paid family and medical leave after the birth of a baby (Rowe-Finkbeiner et. al, 2016).
A common issue happening today in society is whether mothers are receiving enough maternity leave after the birth of a child. Many mothers return to work just six short weeks after giving birth and report high levels of depression and stress. Giving mothers longer leave is an obvious solution and would be highly beneficial to the health of the mother and the child. The U.S. is one of the few developed countries to not have a mandated form of maternity and paternity leave for new parents,
and if a company does offer it, it is rarely paid leave. Therefore, many mothers do not take advantage of the full time off. The first six months of a baby’s life are extremely critical and many parents, especially fathers, are missing out on it. The child will create a permanent bond with their primary care givers in those critical months, and both parents should be considered that.
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Postpartum Depression
Many new mothers will deal with extreme stress and depression after the recent birth of their child. The first and most common disorder that is seen in many mothers is called the “baby blues.” Symptoms of this will usually include exhaustion, feeling worried, unhappy, nervous or irritable. Almost 30 to 80 percent of women will experience “baby blues,’ and the symptoms will usually go away within a few weeks (Schimelpfening, 2018). A more serious problem that many women experience is postpartum depression.
Women with PPD will experience symptoms such as sleeping and eating disturbances, anxiety, feelings of guilt and shame, and sometimes even uncontrollable thoughts of harm coming to the baby. This disorder is uncontrollable and can continue for years if not treated.
These disorders also require extra work put in from the father. Some of these disorders, especially baby blues, can be prevented when some of the stress and work of a new baby is taken off of the mother. The mother’s body is already going through extreme changes after giving birth which puts extra stress on the mother, therefore having the father be present for the beginning of the child’s life will be helpful in preventing further stress for the mother.
TIME published a study titled, “Why Maternity Leave Is Important” in 2012 by author Meredith Melnick. Throughout the study they looked at how mothers’ working hours, job flexibility affected their depression, stress, overall family wellbeing and maternal sensitivity. The study concluded that women that work full time with a 3-month-old baby reported higher levels of stress and depression than those who did not work full time. However, working while having a six-month-old child reported even higher levels of depression than at three months.
This information just further emphasizes the importance of fathers being present for as long as possible. This study mostly shows how important these first months of the baby’s life are for the mother in particular. However, despite what issues may come with the birth of their new baby, including baby blues or postpartum depression, working mothers are in no way lacking as parents compared to stay at home mothers. With help and support from their spouses, a working mother will be just as successful in the parenting department as those who do not work.
Due to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993, employers have been required to give 12 weeks of unpaid leave to their employees who are eligible. Not only are many employees not eligible for this leave, many times the parents cannot afford to leave their job for that long due to financial reasons, so many times the mother will return to work before those 12 weeks are over. So, how important is it for the mothers to take those full 12 or more weeks off? According to Kornfeind et. al, it can make a difference!
It was found that for mothers who took less than 12 weeks of leave, each week less was correlated with a higher amount of reported depressive symptoms. However, after 12 weeks there was little to no difference. (Kornfeiend et al., 2017). The reasoning behind the decreased post-partum depression symptoms could be from many things, including physical wound healing, learning to breastfeed, and adjusting to new roles and responsibilities. Additionally, taking the stress of new mothers needing to find space or time to breastfeed or pump could also contribute to decreased symptoms.
New mothers are under and extreme amount of stress. This includes physical and hormonal changes in their bodies, and a complete change to their lifestyle. It is reported that 6.5% to 12.9% of women experience postpartum depression symptoms, and these rates are only higher for lower-income families (Stewart et al., 2017). These symptoms may include sleep disturbances, anxiety, being obsessed with the baby’s health and feeding, and can even be as severe as suicidal thoughts and worries about harming the baby. Though many of these symptoms can disappear on their own within a few weeks, about 20% of women still experience symptoms beyond their first year of delivery, and 13% after two years. Additionally, out of the women who have suffered with PPD in past pregnancies, 40% have reported having a relapse either during another pregnancy, or on other unrelated occasions (Stewart et al., 2017).
Infant Cognitive Development
The first few months of psychological development for a baby are some of the most critical, and therefore it is important that fathers are present during this stage. During these months, the baby will determine who its primary caregivers are. This is similar to the act we hear some animals, specifically ducklings, take part in, called imprinting. Imprinting is when the animal will immediately be attached to the first thing it sees, which is usually its mother. For an infant, this attachment is created by having any complaint or request they have be answered by one or two of the same people constantly.
The theory that responding to a baby’s cry every time will create a spoiled child is far from correct. Responding to their every need will actually create a stronger bond and will make them more secure and confident as they grow older. Unfortunately, many fathers miss out on this bonding time due to the fact that they cannot miss out on work. This is why we see so many situations when the baby is left with the father while mom has a “night out” and the baby cries the whole night. Many may think that this is all because mothers have the maternal instinct, however it is because the baby has not had a chance to bond with the father and therefore he feels abandoned by his primary caregiver and that this new person will not respond to all of their needs like mom does.
Breastfeeding has recently been gaining more popularity because everyone has been realizing all the benefits for it, however it always has been something that should be an important part of a child’s life. Unfortunately, as the rates of mothers returning back to work fast go up, the rates of breastfeeding are going down. It is difficult for working moms to find the time or privacy that they may need to breastfeed or pump while working a full-time job. On top of just the benefits for the child, breastmilk has immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect the mother and the child from a wide range of illnesses.
There are many benefits to it, including physiological and economic benefits. Reasons it is good for the infant is that it contains essential fatty acids, which are important because they promote brain growth and reduce the chances of dyslexia and hyperactivity, polyunsaturated fats and enzymes called amylase, lipoprotein lipase and lactoperoxidases. All of these enzymes are important to the infant because they increase digestibility and defend against microbes.
Many tests have also shown that, compared to artificially fed babies, breast fed babies show higher mathematical abilities and higher intelligence in general (Mathur p. 143). There are also many benefits of breast feeding for the mother such as a reduced risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer, reduced postpartum bleeding, and it also helps with getting rid of baby fat after birth. Due to there being so many benefits to breast feeding, it is important that all precautions are taken to make sure that the baby is breast fed.
US Policies
Many men do not take advantage of paternity leave because they are afraid of it having a negative effect on their career because they may be passed up on a big promotion or project during their absence, however, the reason most fathers do not take leave is mostly because their companies simply do not offer it. Some companies that are against giving paternal, or even maternal, leave argue that they hired the employee because they believe they will make a profit from doing so. They hope that the employee will make more for them that it will cost them, some of the costs include not only wage but also equipment, training, and benefits such as insurance and retirement plans.
The last thing they want to give is paid leave for an employee where they are not being beneficial to the company in any way. They feel that giving this leave will be detrimental to the company because of needing to grant pay for the leave, the cost of needing to find and train a substitute during their absence, and their “reduced productivity” after their return.
The business world may not see any benefit for themselves when thinking about the topic of paternal leave, all they see is a decline in employee productivity and losing money at the same time. There was a study comparing two countries, one that gives paternal leave and one that doesn’t. “When Eikei Suzuki, Governer of Mie Prefecture, took time off from work after his first child was born in Japan last year, he made national news. When Jim Butcher, head of communications for Spotify Ltd., took time off from work after his child was born in Sweden, he simply joined the nearly ninety percent of Swedish fathers who do so,” (Porter, 2015).
The law in Sweden required that fathers are given ten days of paid paternity leave in addition to eighty weeks of parental leave per family. In Japan where they offer no paternity leave and only some parental leave, only two percent of fathers take any leave because it would be so detrimental to their careers, however, Sweden ends up being more successful in the workforce. “The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for 2014 ranked 142 countries on how equitably they allocate resources between women and men. The Report ranked Sweden thirteenth for labor force participation and fourth overall. It also ranked Japan eighty-third for labor force participation and 104th overall,” (Porter, 2015).
The labor force participation is the measure of active participation in the labor force, so who is currently employed and there is an obvious correlation between those rates and whether they offer paternity leave. It is said that when the father shares the responsibilities with the mother, there is more equality in the home and at work. These statistics should influence the U.S. government to promote giving paternal leave to new fathers.
The first six months in a baby’s life are extremely critical, however many mothers are required to go back to work after three or can’t afford to take more time off since many times maternity leave is not paid. In fact, America is the only industrialized company that does not offer paid maternity leave. An even bigger problem is paternity leave. Mothers get around an average of 106 days of maternity leave whereas fathers only get around seven. Since many studies are finding that the more attention the baby gets from its caregivers at a young age, the more stable it will be in the future, the importance of longer maternity and paternity leave is increasing. Though many companies may argue that the negatives are much higher than the positives in their cases, it will in the long run be more beneficial. When fathers take time off, mothers are able to return to their jobs more quickly and efficiently and the labor force participation is higher.
