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Family Medical Leave Act

Without a doubt, I think paid maternity and paternity leave should be mandatory for employees for several reasons. The first reason is that parental leave is critical for a child’s development. It is said that the early months are the most delicate stages of life of an infant. I believe that mothers and fathers deserve to have some one-on-one time with their infants because it helps build a bond between the parent and their child. Mothers specifically deserve at least 3-month paid maternity leave to give them to breastfeed their babies well (Zagorsky, 460). Breast milk contains important nutrients that are key for the development of a baby. Fathers as well deserve paid leave as they are also caregivers in their own capacity. Giving fathers paid leave also helps change the perception that caregiving is a woman’s role. While females are the primary caregivers by virtue of childbirth, father’s are also caregivers in their own capacities.

Giving employees paid maternity and paternity leave has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of paid leave to parents is that it gives them an opportunity to bond with their newborns, which is critical for their development. Parental leave does not have any disadvantage on parents; as a matter of fact, it can only lead to positive outcomes. Employers, on the other hand, tend to be at a disadvantage as a result of giving their employers paid maternity and paternity leave. The main disadvantage is that for the period when their employees will be on leave, they tend to suffer a shortfall of employees. This means that they must hire temporary workers to replace their staff members, which is an added cost for employers.

Works Cited

Zagorsky, Jay L. “Divergent trends in US maternity and paternity leave, 1994–2015.” American journal of public health 107.3 (2017): 460-465.