Paid Pay Gap Analysis

Gender and various forms of discrimination are created by the United States’ parental leave policy, violating multiple UN sustainable goals. Correlations between the United States’ current policy under the FMLA and the pay gap have been researched. The results of this indicate that “all too often, the pay gap widens when new mothers are forced to take unpaid leave after giving birth” (Neckermann 2). A widened pay gap means that women will earn even less money than men for the same occupation and hours worked. Countless damaging effects are encountered with this gap, as it also causes women to have fewer savings and financial security. These factors make supporting a family increasingly difficult, especially for single mothers and low income

Paid leave can cause employment discrimination: “Conversely, paid leave could lengthen the time a woman spends outside the workplace, interrupt her career, and thus potentially widen the gender gap in employment and wages. Extended time out of work may weaken women’s career progressions and human capital development [...] And as women workers go on maternity leave, there is a risk that some employers will invest less in training and development of women in this age group” (Adema, Willam et al. 28). This excerpt exemplifies the potential negative repercussions of a paid parental leave policy with job security. An interrupted career can harm a woman’s resume as she could leave work for years to raise children. Having a weaker resume makes finding a new job more difficult or impossible. Staying out of a job for extended periods of time leads to poverty and stress. These violate the UN sustainable goals of no poverty and good health and well-being. With a wider gender pay gap, women would be paid even less than men. Earning less can harm a family with both parents working, yet is extremely detrimental to single parent families. If the sole income for the family is low, things like college will be less affordable. This directly impacts the children, who may be denied crucial opportunities like a higher education. A women also may be less capable of saving for her retirement, meaning she would have to work longer than desired. She could also be unable to afford necessities like doctor’s appointments, which could harm her health and well being. Employers who are less willing to train and advance women can also lead to a lower income and its resulting complications. If the company is not making efforts to increase the woman’s experience and capabilities, then she will likely not be promoted. This lack of promotion