It’s Mat Leave Monday! I like to joke about how you’ve all been waiting with baited breath, but I do get more visitors on Monday than any other day of the week, so maybe you have been. In that case, you can un-bait your breath, because here is your weekly dose of mat leave goodness. Today I’ll be talking about why maternity leave is important.
Some people look at the year-long Canadian maternity leave as a government-sponsored vacation. No one would argue that the first few weeks of motherhood are easy, but once everyone’s settled in is a full year off really necessary? It can certainly complicate things for employers to lose a valued employee for so long. And does anyone even know what maternity leave costs taxpayers every year? (Actually, I’m curious, so if you do know, please tell me)
But maternity leave is much more than a chance for new moms to hang out at the mall on weekday afternoons. It has many benefits for babies, families, and even society as a whole. Here are just a handful.
Longer maternity leave leads to increased breastfeeding rates.
We’re all well aware by now that breast milk provides babies with optimal nutrition. But breastfeeding offers much more than that. It reduces rates of ear infection and gastrointestinal illness in babies, and breast cancer in mothers. In short, when babies are breastfed it reduces the burden on our health care system. And it seems obvious, but the more time that moms and babies can spend together in the early days, the better that breastfeeding works. Studies show that shorter maternity leaves correlate with decreased breastfeeding rates, even in the case of part-time or casual work.
Maternity leave reduces infant mortality.
There are studies that indicate that maternity leave reduces infant mortality. Whether this is because of increased breastfeeding rates alone, or there are also other factors at play, I don’t know. It makes sense that babies do better when they can spend their early months at home, instead of in daycare centres or other settings (my kid can’t be the only one who brings every bug in the universe home from daycare). Whatever the case, this seems like a biggie.
Maternity leave increases employee retention.
When your maternity leave ends and you’re not ready to return to work, you have two choices. The first is to return anyway, and you will likely take this route if you must work. The second is to quit your job, and find a new one later (or not) when you feel you can leave your baby. And it should surprise no one that shorter maternity leaves result in more women quitting their jobs because they can’t imagine leaving their one month old. Although maternity leave may impact employers negatively, it’s temporary. Far worse is to lose valued employees, and their years of accumulated experience, because you fail to offer reasonable maternity leaves. Aetna found that allowing mothers more time with their babies actually saved money.
Short maternity leaves are associated with postpartum depression.
Having a baby can throw you for a loop, that’s for sure. I experienced postpartum depression after the birth of my first child. At 6 weeks, I was a sobbing, sleep-deprived mess. With the help and support of my family I was able to recover from birth and adjust to life with a baby, and I haven’t been depressed since. But I can’t imagine if I’d had to return to work at that stage. I’m not alone. It seems that short maternity leaves are associated with higher scores on the postpartum depression scale.
Paid maternity leave helps low-income families.
It’s great if you can afford to stay home with your kids. I know many moms who make this choice, and take a lifestyle hit because it’s worth it for them. That’s great. But not everyone can make that choice. Not every mom has a partner. Not every partner is employed. And in countries where there is no national paid maternity leave, these moms are often the hardest hit, the least able to have time with their babies. I have read articles from ‘family values’ groups arguing against generous paid maternity leave on the grounds that moms shouldn’t be working. But let’s face it, there are many people living close to the edge, who cannot make it without that income. I’m sure everyone can agree that all babies are deserving of the best we can give them, regardless of their parents’ socioeconomic status.
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