Pregnant people in New York would have 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a new proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul after the state’s legislative session kicked off this week.
The Democrat’s plan to expand the state’s paid family leave policy, which would need to be approved by the state Legislature, aims to expand access to high-quality prenatal care and prevent maternal and infant deaths in New York, an issue that especially affects low-income and minority communities.
The U.S. infant mortality rate, a measure of how many babies die before they reach their first birthday, is worse than other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other possibilities. The U.S. rate rose 3% in 2022 — the largest increase in two decades, according to a 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The US, the last western country lacking maternity leave. Compare that to what other countries do, providing months of maternity leave.
Do companies have to pay employees for months while they’re not doing any work?
Or is it the government who allocates taxes to fund maternity leave?
As a business owner, a woman would have to provide enough value to the company to make up for potentially missing months of work while being paid in order to get hired over a man with no such risk.
I see you’re operating under the misunderstanding that only women have to take time off of work to care for children. Or maybe you just think that somehow women are having babies all by themselves without men at all.
WOMEN DON’T HAVE BABIES, FAMILIES HAVE BABIES. EVERY PERSON DESERVES THE HUMAN DIGNITY OF BEING ALLOWED TO CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
I’m sorry for yelling, but it’s a fucking important. You’re backwards thinking is a key failure of capitalism and a shining example of toxic masculinity.
So you’re saying everyone should be hired with the expectation that they will receive months of paid leave for having a child?
Nothing about this is ‘toxic masculinity.’ It’s how the working world works, lol. You’ll understand that when you’re older.
We’re saying that entire societies benefit from having parents spend early months/years with their young children. Because society as a whole profits from that activity, that activity should be subsidized by the government.
And I promise I’m at least as old as you
If the government is paying for it I am all in.
Having businesses pay for it will just result in less women getting good jobs.
Don’t be harsh. They have to give all their money to Israel. There is very little left for US citizens.
It’s a shame the entire country doesn’t have it, but many states including New York do already. One advantage of a federal system I guess.
Here’s a summary of parental leave by state if curious.
https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/maternity-leave-laws-by-state/
There really should be a national requirement though.
Except it’s unpaid.