Why Mothers Come Back From The United States - 1853 Words

It has been noticed across the United States that new mothers are returning back to work earlier, rather than staying home on maternity leave for the approved 12-weeks. There have been many reasons expressed as to why mothers come back to work only six weeks after having a child, some of them astounding after seeing how we compare to the rest of the world. New mothers feel the pressure at work and they will miss out on a job promotion since they were gone for a marked period of time. Others are single parents and just cannot afford to stay at home without any additional income. Even mothers that are married and the spouse has a steady income, this can still be a factor as to why the mother would return to work early. Because they†¦show more content†¦Offering paid maternity leave is not only beneficial to the mother, but also to the company. I would like to go over the following points: address the current Family and Medical Leave Act; understand why maternity leave is important but also why it is better to offer this type of leave paid; as well as show how the United States compares to the United Kingdom and Australia. The Family and Medical Leave Act was first enacted in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. This act was instituted to ensure that those that needed the time off could actually take the time off and still have their job after returning from leave. The FMLA was started with many stipulations, most that many are familiar with. First, FMLA offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave that ensures the mother that their job is protected. The law also states that the associate applying for leave must qualify to take advantage of FMLA. If the associate qualifies, this means they work for a covered employer and must meet the following requirements: â€Å"Has worked for the employer for at least 12 months; Has at least 1,250 hours of service for the employer during the 12 month period immediately preceding the leave; [A]nd [w]orks at a location where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles† (United States Department of Labor). FMLA also states that this benefit is a