Katie Landwehr
Economics Essay
Pro Paid Leave
Almost 75% of American children live in households with working parents and no stay-at-home mom or dad. This means that the vast majority of parents would need to take time off work to take care of sick kids or care for a newborn, sadly that percentage doesn’t match up with the percentage of workers who actually have paid family leave.
As of 2011, only 11% of the private sector and 17% of the public sector could take time off from work to care for a sick child without losing pay. The rest of the other percentage are forced to use what’s left of their vacation and sick days or lose out on a paycheck to take care of their children. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics only …show more content…
It also increases the likelihood of infants getting well-baby care visits and vaccinations, with one study finding that children were 25.3% and 22.2% more likely to get their measles and polio vaccines, when their mother had access to paid maternity leave. Paid parental leave can also increase the rate and duration of breastfeeding.
A 2011 study in California found that women who had paid leave breastfed twice as long as women who didn’t take leave. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to get a variety of infections and are also at lower risk for asthma, obesity and sudden infant death syndrome. There are benefits to mothers who breast-feed as well, as they’re less likely to get breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Both men and women who return to work after a paid family leave are significantly less likely to receive public assistance or use food stamps in the following year of their child’s birth. Almost 10% of workers who have unpaid family leave use some form of public assistance during that leave. It has been found that new parents spend, about $70 per month for baby clothes and diapers and more than $120 per month on baby food and formula. As well as items like furniture and medical expenses, which add up quickly. About 15% of people who were not paid or who received partial pay while on leave turned to public assistance for help. About 60% of workers who took this leave reported that it was extremely difficult making ends
Economics Essay
Pro Paid Leave
Almost 75% of American children live in households with working parents and no stay-at-home mom or dad. This means that the vast majority of parents would need to take time off work to take care of sick kids or care for a newborn, sadly that percentage doesn’t match up with the percentage of workers who actually have paid family leave.
As of 2011, only 11% of the private sector and 17% of the public sector could take time off from work to care for a sick child without losing pay. The rest of the other percentage are forced to use what’s left of their vacation and sick days or lose out on a paycheck to take care of their children. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics only …show more content…
It also increases the likelihood of infants getting well-baby care visits and vaccinations, with one study finding that children were 25.3% and 22.2% more likely to get their measles and polio vaccines, when their mother had access to paid maternity leave. Paid parental leave can also increase the rate and duration of breastfeeding.
A 2011 study in California found that women who had paid leave breastfed twice as long as women who didn’t take leave. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to get a variety of infections and are also at lower risk for asthma, obesity and sudden infant death syndrome. There are benefits to mothers who breast-feed as well, as they’re less likely to get breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Both men and women who return to work after a paid family leave are significantly less likely to receive public assistance or use food stamps in the following year of their child’s birth. Almost 10% of workers who have unpaid family leave use some form of public assistance during that leave. It has been found that new parents spend, about $70 per month for baby clothes and diapers and more than $120 per month on baby food and formula. As well as items like furniture and medical expenses, which add up quickly. About 15% of people who were not paid or who received partial pay while on leave turned to public assistance for help. About 60% of workers who took this leave reported that it was extremely difficult making ends