This story focuses on maternity leave in terms of economics, but long paid leave also helps infants bond with their mothers and reduces stress in the family.
The share of employers offering time off with full pay after childbirth dropped to 5.2 percent in 2012 from 6.1 percent in 2005, according to a survey by the Family and Work Institute, a New York-based nonprofit research organization that studies issues involving the workplace, youth and early childhood. Some 41.1 percent offered unpaid leave in 2012, while 15.5 percent said their policy depended on the situation, which often means it varies by job level.
Paid maternity benefits are available for “the most educated, most privileged among us,” said American Association of University Women Vice President Lisa M. Maatz. “You don’t see this being offered to waitresses. It’s something that can become very class-based and further create income gaps.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-15/moms-in-survival-mode-as-u-s-trails-world-on-benefits.html
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