CASSANDRA TICER
Perspectives Assistant
The United States is a country whose leaders have prided themselves on upholding the values of freedom, liberty and equality for its citizens. It is a country of successful and effective corporations that cause the United States to be on of the wealthiest nation in the world. However, there is one issue the United States has refused to update to the standards of the 21st century, the issue of paid maternity leave.
From a financial perspective, it is much more effective for a corporation to pay maternity leave for female employees than it is to hire someone new employee. Additionally, from a moral standpoint, the United States is one of the only developed nations that does not provide a mandatory program for women employees who take time off to have children.
It is appalling that the United States hasn’t adopted a system of paid maternity leave for its female employees. Other countries such as Mexico, India, Germany, Brazil and Australia require that companies grant a 12-week maternity leave with full pay. Also, countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia offer leave for 40 weeks, 96 and 52 weeks of maternity leave, respectfully.
The United States not only provides no statutory maternity pay, but also allows only 12 weeks of maternity leave according to the federal government. However, a more disturbing thought is that only 60 percent of women actually qualify for the already unbelievably insufficient benefits. The U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act states that women are only eligible if they satisfy the following three criteria: work for the government, worked for their current employer for at least 12 months, and don’t have one of the top 10 percent highest salaries.
Studies from the U.S. Department of Education reveal that it is apparent that in the future, women will be much more prevalent in the workforce than in previous generations. At all levels, from elementary school through college, women are exceeding in test scores and ranking above men. On standardized tests from 4th grade, 8th grade and 12th grade, girls not only consistently score higher, but also the gap between their scores and boys’ scores widen as they get older.
By the time they reach 12th grade, girls score on average 16 points higher on standardized reading tests, and 24 points higher on writing tests. According to the Jan. 30 issue of Newsweek, 30 years ago, women made up 42 percent of the nation’s undergraduate college students; this has increased to 56 percent.
Due to the higher levels of both performance and education, women are no longer solely employed in fields such as administration or education. Instead, women are holding more and more middle to upper-management positions. For this reason, it is much more cost effective for corporations to provide paid maternity leave for their female employees.
For a corporation to pay women maternity leave, the overall expense is less since it is less time and money for the company to go through the hiring process, find a replacement and train the person. It wastes less time to support the current employees and bring them back after the maternity leave is over. It simply costs too much to continue to lose valuable women only to replace them with others who may ultimately leave as well.
During the Monday’s Convocation, Patricia Heaton of “Everybody Loves Raymond” spoke about women in corporations. She presented a very valid point that women are forced to act like a man, work like a man, and in short, live in a man’s world. However, we live in a world that is supposed to be for everyone, no matter what their gender, age or appearance is.
Corporations benefit from the unique and critical values that women bring to their company. The fact is, true equality doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is treated exactly the same. Instead, everyone should be treated and respected as individuals and have their own strengths and weaknesses recognized. For a corporation to truly follow the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits the discrimination against women by any company, it must fulfill her needs as a woman, such as paid maternity leave.
U. S. citizens are disgusted by the lack of respect and equality the other countries have for women, yet there are plenty of problems here. The country that began the first organized women’s suffrage movement is now discriminating against the individuals who are not only valuable and essential elements to the success of corporate America, but also to the individuals who are placed with the task of giving birth to the future generations of our country. These women should not only be treated with respect, but they should be treated with equality, too.
The fact is, if corporations work with individuals who have disabilities, such as installing ramps and elevators, then they should be required to provide the same assistance to female employees.
It is imperative for the United States to modernize its stance on maternity leave and provide the women of the country with the means to provide for their families and their children.
03-23-2006