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It's not free and it is considered socialism because everyone pays high taxes into the system, whether it is for health care and or paid time off. So when a woman has a baby and takes her 1yr to 18months leave, everyone's tax dollars is paying her to stay home. A year and a half is a long time to pay someone for not being at work imo.
As I said, in America many have been trained to think as you do. Many Europeans think otherwise.
However, I will admit many women want to go back to work ASAP after having a baby. Working full time out of the house is much easier than taking care of a baby 24/7.
This is an awful thing we put up with here in the US...For a "civilized" country, this is really embarrassing too.
In Canada: The Canadian government mandates both a leave and a benefits component, the latter being administered by provincial employment insurance plans. Depending on the length of employment history and the hours worked, new mothers can take between 17 and 52 weeks of leave from their jobs. Their employers are required to accept the employees back into their jobs, or the equivalent, at the end of the mandated leave at the same rate of pay with the same employment benefits.
On top of mandating maternity leave, the government offers paid leave for one or both parents through Canada's employment insurance plan. A pregnant employee or new mother can take a paid maternity leave of up to 15 weeks. Either the mother or father can take 35 weeks of parental leave after the baby is born or adopted. The parents can share the leave however they choose. If eligible for the program, the benefits equal 55% of the parent's average weekly insurable wage, up to a maximum of $485 per week. For low-income families, the rate of benefits can increase to up to 80%, with the same maximum of $485 per week. Employment insurance benefits are taxable in the same way as wages.
But the HYPOCRISY in the US is massive, because on one hand "reproduction" is encouraged, see how many have 1 kid versus 3, 4, 5 etc...19 kids and counting, no one supports abortion even when there is a 16 year old child in question, or someone that is ALREADY on some kind of welfare. People end up loosing jobs forever, cannot return to work, get a really BAD rap if they didn't return to work, with disregard to how much daycares cost and how UNAFFORDABLE they are for those making anywhere between $7 and $15 an hour, and nobody gives a $hit. It is INSULTING to the population to not support abortion, and allow people to make good decisions in regards to the affordability of them having a child, and then not have any kind of maternity leave to support this need to have kids either! It is SO STUPID that it makes me want to throw up.
......and BTW This shouldn't be labeled "democratic" or "republican" or "liberal"! This is a SOCIAL ISSUE created by all the people who live here and don't give a crap about their well being.
Hmmm... can't rep you again yet. But I, too, saved up sick leave. My kids are grown but I have nearly 700 hrs of sick leave on the books. Ya never know!
That would be a great plan if I could accrue ANY sick or vacation time. All of my PTO is use it or lose it. What should a person in my situation do? Not all employers allow employees to accrue time off. I would definitely do that if it were an option, but it's not.
That would be a great plan if I could accrue ANY sick or vacation time. All of my PTO is use it or lose it. What should a person in my situation do? Not all employers allow employees to accrue time off. I would definitely do that if it were an option, but it's not.
The employer has control over you.
It is a sad state of affairs that we do not have more employers that are not stuck in barbaric times.
It's not just about the money - it's also about giving a new mother a decent amount of time to care for and bond with her new baby, and about keeping women on their career path.
My country, Australia, takes the view that we can't afford NOT to offer paid maternity leave. As well as government-mandated 18 weeks' paid parental leave for the main carer and two weeks for the partner, many companies offer additional paid leave.
Many companies here want to maintain a continuing relationship with their employees - it translates to increased job satisfaction, greater employee productivity and improved employee morale and loyalty. It reduces recruitment and training costs and better organisational efficiency (industry knowledge, networks and contacts etc).
At the moment the government is tweaking the maternity leave rules so the following is what was available to my daughter when she had her baby 15 months ago:
- 18 weeks' paid leave at the minimum weekly wage (which was a tad over $600 a week at the time). This amount is paid by the government (ie taxpayers). Her partner received two weeks' paid leave at the same $ rate.
- On top of that, her employer offered her either 14 weeks' leave at full pay or 28 weeks at half-pay. She opted for the latter. With a few weeks of vacation leave saved up, my daughter returned to work just on a year after giving birth. The law is that she must be placed back in her old job. She could have opted to take another year off, unpaid, but would not have been guaranteed her old job (just her old pay rate).
I haven't heard many Australians complaining about our system.
Fair enough. Sounds good. But that's a different country. Different economy, different taxes, different salaries, different everything.
The United States' maternity benefits fit into its own system and government, different from Australia. For one thing, it's not like we need to encourage having babies, what with a world overpopulation problem and all. But the U.S. is focused on capitalism and economy and low taxes. And that means certain things to the average citizen. America is based on a history of independence for the average person, which means that Americans in a lot of ways are expected to manage on their own what other countries provide for their citizens.
Supposedly this means that a lower income person will be burdened and held back by the deficiencies from the government, but is more able to improve his/her situation through education, entrepreneurship or whatever. I don't think it's working out that way these days, but I think that's the theory.
Australia also has a national healthcare system, doesn't it? Well, that's never going to happen here.
For better or worse, we are stuck with "the guy that brung us to the dance."
Originally Posted by Kobber View Post
It's not just about the money - it's also about giving a new mother a decent amount of time to care for and bond with her new baby, and about keeping women on their career path.
My country, Australia, takes the view that we can't afford NOT to offer paid maternity leave. As well as government-mandated 18 weeks' paid parental leave for the main carer and two weeks for the partner, many companies offer additional paid leave.
Many companies here want to maintain a continuing relationship with their employees - it translates to increased job satisfaction, greater employee productivity and improved employee morale and loyalty. It reduces recruitment and training costs and better organisational efficiency (industry knowledge, networks and contacts etc).
At the moment the government is tweaking the maternity leave rules so the following is what was available to my daughter when she had her baby 15 months ago:
- 18 weeks' paid leave at the minimum weekly wage (which was a tad over $600 a week at the time). This amount is paid by the government (ie taxpayers). Her partner received two weeks' paid leave at the same $ rate.
- On top of that, her employer offered her either 14 weeks' leave at full pay or 28 weeks at half-pay. She opted for the latter. With a few weeks of vacation leave saved up, my daughter returned to work just on a year after giving birth. The law is that she must be placed back in her old job. She could have opted to take another year off, unpaid, but would not have been guaranteed her old job (just her old pay rate).
I haven't heard many Australians complaining about our system.
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Sounds good. But that's a different country. Different economy, different taxes, different salaries, different everything.
The ONLY difference is that Australia is not overrun with GREED!
"Maternity leave" is why I can no longer find a job here in the US! It ruined my life...
Nothing good ever happens for the citizens in the US because the citizens of the US are so selfish that they cannot comprehend well being! It's a concept too far out for them to grasp. It is embarrassing how we treat our own citizens here, but guess what, it all boils down to maternity leave and how much your parents had to bond and teach you good manners!
Please don't talk to me about "independence"! That is such BULLcrap it's a ridiculous thing to bring up here. Read some WORLD history and see how many other nations have fought wars, and won, and how they are acting about it NOW! The year is 2014 not 1721! Do you know that most of Europe is very independent for a very long time too? Other countries are capitalist and none are as abusive as the US is towards their own citizens! NONE. Look at Norway, Sweden, etc...
To continue to maintain this awful status quo here will eventually lead to social wars...just watch. People in America are more abused than those who live under communist regimes! Look at cops in NYC...look at Insurance companies...look at the epidemic of debt for the dumbest things...look how education here is destroying people's financial lives! Look at the joke of maternity leave, look at how employees are treated like disposable diapers here, look at minimum wages, look at the medical field,....look at the racism being promoted STILL....Should I go on?
America is overrun by an immense amount of greed and lack of care, and eventually this will burst too when people had enough social abuse! This massive stupidity and selfishness won't live forever here because there are enough immigrants now that have seen other ways of living and who will make changes and teach their children to not take this crap!
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America is based on a history of independence for the average person, which means that Americans in a lot of ways are expected to manage on their own what other countries provide for their citizens.
When I was pregnant (years ago) I worked for the Federal Government as a civil servant. I got zip - except for either the standard 6 weeks of disability afterward or vacation time (can't remember whether sick leave could be used...been awhile). I currently work for a large, well respected company (one that frequently makes Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work for) - I covered for someone this summer while she was on maternity leave - same deal your 6 weeks of disability (after the fact) and your PTO or FMLA or a combination. The company provides no paid maternity leave. I think that's pretty standard actually.
Same here. I had saved 4 weeks of sick/vacation time and took 2 weeks unpaid leave. That was in 1983.
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Fair enough, but....
