Note: Much of the research for this post stemmed from two anecdotes, one in White Feminism by Koa Beck and one in Let’s Move the Needle by Shannon Downey. Though I won’t be directly quoting either here, I highly recommend reading both books for the more personal perspectives.

Maternity leave is a common topic within feminist circles, particularly in the US because the United States is the only country in OCED that does not have national, paid maternity leave [1]. However, the discussion of “maternity leave” is also a very good example of a current policy push that, while good, doesn’t go far enough to help the vast majority of people, particularly poor and BIPOC women.

For women who decide to become pregnant and have a child, maternity leave is incredibly beneficial physically and mentally [2]. Paid time off decreases the chances a woman will need to be re-hospitalized after giving birth by 50%, decreases blood pressure, and leads to improved mental health for the mother and has been seen to decrease the infant mortality rate by as much as 5%. However, limiting leave to pregnant, cisgender women and providing it only to cover the weeks or months immediately after giving birth cause a myriad of problems.

According to the Office of Child Healthcare under the US Department of Health and Human Services, “affordable” child care can account for no more than 7% of a family’s household income [3]. However, with 2023 median household at $80,610/year [4] and childcare ranging from $6552 to $15600 [5], childcare is prohibitively expensive for a majority of families. The effect on BIPOC families is seen more starkly when looking at household wages separated by race (more on this in a future post): with median household incomes of $56,490/year for black families and $65,540/year for Hispanic families [4], that puts even the lowest childcare costs at 11.6% and 10% of income respectively. Additionally, BIPOC families are more likely to need to take on caregiving roles for family members, with prevalence at 21% of the Hispanic community, 20% of the black and Asian communities, and just 17% of the white community [6].

And none of this touches on fathers, women in same-sex relationships who are not pregnant, parents looking to adopt, or the race and class differences in needing to be a caregiver to family members who are not infants such as the elderly, adults with disabilities, or even simply children who get sick.

Fighting for maternity leave in and of itself is not a problem, but when we examine the true issue, it becomes clear that what we really need is a robust and flexible family leave, as well as affordable and accessible child care.

References

1. BPC. (2022). Paid Family Leave Across OECD Countries. Bipartisan Policy Center.
2. Abrams, Z. (2022) The urgent necessity for paid parental leave. American Psychological Association.
3. OCC. (2024). New Rule to Improve Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in CCDF. Office of Child Care.
4. Guzman, G. (2024). Income in the United States: 2023. United States Census Bureau.
5. Poyatzis, G. (2024). New Data: Childcare costs remain an almost prohibitive expense. US Department of Labor.
6. FCA. (2016). Caregiver Statistics: Demographics. Family Caregiver Alliance.