Why Don't American Mothers/Fathers Demand Maternity/Paternity Leave?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I've never had a coworker go on vacation for more than a week. Long vacations don't work in healthcare.

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Krazysh0t

I've never had a coworker go on vacation for more than a week. Long vacations don't work in healthcare.

I work for a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in its IT department.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Atsbhct

It's fine for her but what about her coworkers. I had one take off 8 weeks this year for maternity leave and my work load essentially doubled. People are always going to take advantage of "free" benefits and govt mandated time off and the people that suffer are the other workers.

How is that any different than carrying someone's workload when they go on vacation? It's called adapt and overcome. You'd get the same benefits. If you feel so slighted by the extra workload, then have a kid of your own so you can take advantage of the time off too.

People don't go on vacation for months at a time.... HUGE difference.

Yes they do. I used to have a co-worker who would go on vacation to Pakistan every year for the entire month of January.

I know you liberals are bad at math, but c'mon.

1 month does not equal MONTHS AT A TIME... you know like 4 months or even 16 months. Comparing vacation to maternity leave is absurd. Not even remotely the same even when someone can take a month off for an extended vacation.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

IT does what they want though. Ours works from home half the week. Clinical staff are different. As a mid level or nurse or tech try good luck telling your manager that you taking a month off.

The longest vacations I typically see are two weeks at a time. I've have seen a few take up to a month (usually traveling over seas) but that is the exception not the rule. While those are disruptive, it isn't nearly the same as a co-worker being out of the office for six months or even a year.

I think the maternity leave issue is part of a larger problem of having the need for dual incomes but that is probably a thread unto itself.

a reply to: avgguy

I know many doctors and nurses (in UK) who regularly to a take multiple weeks off. Inability to do so would seem more to do with bad management or lack of holidays than anything inherent in working in health care.

a reply to: ScepticScot

Mostly it's getting people to cover you shift or the inability to do so

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Woah how often do you get 6 week vacations?! I want your job.

Paternity leave is stupid. Men don't crap out an eight-pound basketball, so they don't need time to heal. It's a lame excuse to avoid doing their jobs.

Get to work you slackers.

And don't give me that BS bonding line. You're stuck with the thing for 18 years. More than enough time to bond.

EYEROLL

originally posted by: Atsbhct
a reply to: FamCore

As a person who is entitled to federally supported maternity leave, it's nice to see that some employers in the US are stepping up.

There's a big difference between maternity leave and PAID maternity leave. DO some companies in the U.S. offer maternity leave? Yes, but not with pay. You either have enough leave saved up to cover it or you simply don't get paid. Not many offer paid maternity leave.

a reply to: Edumakated

Well if you are going to insult my intelligence for no reason, I guess we have nothing to talk about then.

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Krazysh0t

IT does what they want though. Ours works from home half the week. Clinical staff are different. As a mid level or nurse or tech try good luck telling your manager that you taking a month off.

Oh I don't have the seniority to get away with it at the time. Plus I'm not from Pakistan or part of the family that owns it. But even then I work for an American company where such things are pretty uncommon. So I'm not expecting to get that treatment anytime soon. I was just listing it as an example to show that some people DO get long vacation times outside of paternity leave.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Edumakated

Well if you are going to insult my intelligence for no reason, I guess we have nothing to talk about then.

You insulted your own intelligence. You know a one month vacation is not even remotely the same as taking six months off or longer for maternity leave. It is an absurd comparison and you know it.

a reply to: Edumakated

I see. So the liberal snipe was TOTALLY called for because you think I can't tell the difference between 6 months and 1 month? No apology either? I guess we really don't have anything to talk about. You win the 4th grade argument you tried to start with me. Congratulations.

To bad that people that want kids can't work it to were one is home to raise the kid instead of daycare and the school system raising them. Maybe people shouldn't have Kids if they both have to work all the time....

originally posted by: Atsbhct
a reply to: Edumakated

I guess the question is, why has almost every country except for the US figured out how to work around this?

Likely because they've been forced to by governments that think they know better.

Look, as others have said, it's a nice benefit to have, but it causes major disruption in the work place too. You are down one set of hands that you cannot replace for whatever that period of time is. In workplaces that are already stripped down the bare minimum and expecting maximum labor load to be done this means your higher ups are seeing head count you don't actually have to do work you were already over tasked with.

At least twice in his career, my husband received direct reports who were new to his area that he had only about two weeks to train before they went on extended maternity leaves leaving him overburdened that much longer before he could get them back in the doors and trained to take a position they had been hired for and he was already overstressed because he was having to cover.

And as folks have already pointed out, many employers do offer maternity leaves of various lengths or enough other forms of leave that a maternity leave can be taken.

originally posted by: Orionx2
To bad that people that want kids can't work it to were one is home to raise the kid instead of daycare and the school system raising them. Maybe people shouldn't have Kids if they both have to work all the time....

I agree with this sentiment. I don't think the issue is really maternity leave but that so many women feel the need to work. The bigger issue is that so many couples feel that both parents have to work. I've played around with the numbers and if the woman (or man) isn't making more than about $50k per year, there really is no need for them to work when you factor in day care costs, etc. The couple would be better off with the spouse not working.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Many employers offer and allow for maternity leave. Also, here in the states, we have things like medical leave and paid leave that we accrue over time.

If having a child is not worth taking sick or annual leave for, then that's another issue in and of itself at the individual's level.

But to imply that the state or government should subsidize maternity/paternity leave, to me, is ridiculous. Maybe at the time of employment, people should be offered the option to sign up for some sort of allotment that can be used only for maternity/paternity leave, and the individual supports that themselves.

Who knows--I'm perfectly fine with having to take medical or annual leave after a birth (just did it a couple years ago). Why other people aren't is beyond me. Maybe I've just been "lucky" enough to have held jobs as a married adult where accruing and taking leave for those reasons was acceptable. Maybe other jobs are worse, but all in all, I still think that it's a terrible idea for governments to force employers to allow for these types of things.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Edumakated

I see. So the liberal snipe was TOTALLY called for because you think I can't tell the difference between 6 months and 1 month? No apology either? I guess we really don't have anything to talk about. You win the 4th grade argument you tried to start with me. Congratulations.

You apparently can't tell the difference between 1 month and six months! Did you or did you not make that argument?

I'll conceded I didn't have to throw in the lib snipe.

a reply to: Orionx2

My wife is a SAHM...she also homeschools our 12-year-old and is raising our 2.5-year-old without using daycare or babysitters or anything else.

Point being, people can work that out, and often do.