Family Leave is time off from work with pay to care for another family member, give birth and take care of a new baby, or recover from illness. North Carolina also gives employees the right to take time off domestic violence leave and children’s school activities. Family Leave is very similar to parental or maternal leave. Maternal leave is the period of time where new mothers take off from work following the birth of her baby. Paternal leave is the period of time where new fathers take off from work following the adoption or birth of a child. Family leave is a mixture of both maternal and paternal leave. Family leave has also more to do than just the birth or adoption of a child.
Benefits
Family leave has many benefits to children and the family. Rossin (2011) states, “[family] leave may affect the amount of time a child spends with his mother rather than in non-maternal care. [family] leave will also affect the quality of time the child spends with the mother, depending on changes to her stress level and her satisfaction with the trajectory of her career. The quantity and quality of time a mother spends with her child in his first year of life matter for the child's well-being”
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Kaufman, Lyonette, and Crompton (2010) explain that in Britain, family leave is short and offers low income replacement; while in the United States, family leave applies to some fathers and is unpaid (p. 322). After researching, Kaufman, Lyonette, and Crompton (2010) find “British fathers benefit from a policy that provided one week paid leave in the recent past and currently offers two weeks (partially) paid leave. American fathers know less about family leave policy, and even for those who are aware of FMLA, they are aware that it is unpaid” (p. 336). Research also showed that British fathers took one week of paid leave. American fathers had to deal with unpaid leave and used vacation days to take time
The balancing act of family and work can be very difficult at times. At some point in everyone’s life, he or she will need to take time off of work to deal with family matters. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 was created to help employees find a balance between the challenging demands of work and home. This Act allows eligible workers that require time off for personal reasons or family emergencies up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave.
In response to the increasing need for employees to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families, Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act. Without a policy like FMLA in place, many employees often would have had to choose between “the job they need and the family they love” (Hayes). The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is the first national law created to help Americans balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of the family. It successfully helps bridge the gap between family and work and secures the right for both men and women to get unpaid leave and assistance when dealing with family related circumstances.
Ray et al. Parental Leave Policies in 2 Countries – Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality. Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Maternity leave is a controversial debate that has been discussed for many years and continues to this day being a controversial issue. There is one side that argues that women have a right for leave of absence in order to bond with the baby and recuperate physically. On the other side there is the argument that companies take a financial hit. Both sides provide valid points for being pro maternity leave or against it, but one must take into consideration the long-term impacts these positions have. Maternity leave is necessary not only for emotional development but also for economical productivity in the long run.
This policy allows working couples to choose how they balance their work and parenting commitment to their new baby. The first two weeks are reserved for the mother but the remaining fifty weeks can be shared between both parents (Glegg, Swinson, 2013).This will definitely give chance to fathers to bond with their infants on an equal footing with the mother. Sarkadi, et al (2007) also suggests that policies should be made that fathers of young children may choose to do part time jobs so they can have time with their
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed in 1993 and allows employees to take unpaid leave for up to 12 workweeks in any 12 month period because of any of the following reasons: the birth or adoption of a child, for the care of a family member with a serious health condition, or because the employee’s own serious health conditions makes the employee unable to perform the functions of her or her job. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages to both the employer and the employee concerning this act. The current use of FMLA and management concerns over the FMLA will also be discussed.
The Family and Medical Act (FMLA) of 1993 was America’s initial plan of “enabling workers to balance . . . work and family” (Cohen 213). Yet, many workers across the nation are unable to attain these benefits simply because their leave is unpaid (Cohen 214). Since the passage of the act, very little progress has been made in the fight for paid parental leave, causing the United States to be developmentally behind the rest of the world (Talbot). The United States’ family leave policy is severely inadequate and outdated. In order for the nation to progress politically and socially, reforming the present legislation into a model of paid parental leave can lead the United States in the right direction of growth. The current policy for parental
Overall the Family and Medical Leave Act has raised many issues on whether leave should be encourage and/or paid for by the employers. As of today, no haven policy has been enacted to tackle the challenges surrounding this issue, but positive steps have been taken and one day there will be no question that hard working employees will get the rights they
I am also a woman who in a few years will be in the workforce and will eventually become a mother that is why I am a supporter of paid family leave and believe that it should be available for both mothers and fathers. The support for paid maternity leave is and has been growing over the years, in the U.S advocates are everyday people who are put in the situation of having to deal with and or make a decision between their children and their job. Paid parental leave has been debated over a course of years but the only strive the U.S has taken is protected unpaid family leave which isn’t enough due to the fact that “legislators are not swayed by the empirical evidence alone. We consistently hear that legislators need to hear the voices of their constituents explaining what paid family leave means to them” (Rowe-Finkbeiner et al. para. 21). That is why the United States government should mandate paid parental leave policies for both mothers and fathers in most if not all businesses in all fifty
Our nation has a lot of problems that we need to get lined out to become better as a whole, paid family leave being one of them. Some people will say that paid family leave is bad for business, but recent studies of the three states that are currently offering paid leave,” California, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- New York's plan goes into effect in 2018 -- found that a majority of companies experienced positive or neutral effects on productivity.” While it may not be entirely positive, it’s not negative which is a step in the right direction. Other say that it would be hard to keep women in the workforce, therefore, messing up gender equality, but Schulte says that “there's this sweet spot that most studies will show it's between nine months to a year where nine months is where it's positive and up to a year. Anything longer than a year tends to be kind of a detrimental effect to women's wages, women's return to work and their career prospects.” It’s not an easy process but it’s necessary for our future as a prospering
Figure 1, shows the top countries in the world for maternity leave, with all offering over 50 weeks, and Serbia and Denmark at 100% of salary. In other countries both the amount of time and percentage of salary differs, but as Amanda Peterson Beadle points out in her article for the ThinkProgress website, ‘Out of 178 nations, the U.S. is one of three that does not offer paid maternity leave benefits, let alone paid leave for fathers’. (6)
Before enrolling in my first Communication studies course, I never heard of paternity leave, nor had the concept ever crossed my mind. On multiple occasions, I witnessed my mother take some form of occupational leave due to family matters, but never my father. This created a household dynamic that placed my mother as the primary care giver. The responsibilities associated with parenthood should never be left to one parent. This economically reinforces the idea that child care is exclusive to women. For this reason, family leave should be both available and required for male parents.
The average time off for maternity leave is 6 weeks, some take longer as allowed through FMLA and some take even less time. Many women feel that if they take longer under FMLA guidelines, the will be viewed as less serious about their career. However, if a person goes out on short term disability for any other reason for a duration similar to maternity leave, they come back to the same job with well wishes for a speedy recovery. The same time off does not equate to the same treatment upon return. Maternity leave in the business world is often interpreted as a shift in priorities and will then be overlooked for future considerations. If we do take extended time off, we can expect to reenter at a lower level than the one we were at before
Bringing a new baby into the world is one life changing experience. The lives of both the mother and the father are changed tremendously as they begin to learn to raise a child by trial and error. Maternity leave for mothers of newborns is never disagreeable; when it comes to paternity leave, however, it becomes one of the most controversial topics of the workforce. Reasons for maternity leaves and paternity leaves are both justifiable. Men should have the opportunity to take paternity leave from their jobs so that they can be a helping hand to the mother, have a chance to bond with their newborn child, and help bridge the gap in gender equality in the workplace without the stigma and criticism. After the birth of the child, women can become emotionally and physically fatigued, so men take an important role as care giver and supporter, especially in the first few weeks. If a father has an opportunity to stay home for the first couple of weeks, to care for both the mother and his new child, it will make a big impact for the family.
Throughout a person’s life, there will come a period of time, when an employee will need to take a leave of absence. The Family and Medical Leave Act has helped many people balance their daily living situations with their work life. Many years ago people were unable to keep a career due to everyday life changes. It has taken a very long time to put this Act into place but it has help our countries people in so many ways. The Family and Medical Leave Act is a law providing help for hard working Americans to retain their careers throughout their challenging journey.