Americans may finally get paid maternity leave like in all other developed countries

Quote:

President Trump’s budget proposal next week will include a new benefit for America’s working parents, one Democrats have long championed and Republicans have long opposed: paid family leave. The president’s first detailed budget request on Tuesday will seek funds for the creation of a program to grant mothers and fathers six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child, two senior White House budget office officials said. The proposal for a family leave program was one of the few relatively large ticket items in a budget which is expected to contain sweeping reductions in spending on nondefense measures. ... The United States is the only developed country that does not guarantee new mothers or fathers a single day of paid time off. Trump’s proposals would change that, but the six weeks of paid leave would still be much less than other industrialized countries. Under the Trump administration proposals, states would be required to run their own programs, unless they already have one in place. So far, only California, Rhode Island and New Jersey offer new parents the benefit, which is financed through temporary disability insurance programs. New York and Washington, D.C., have approved measures that start taking effect next year. “The states would have a big stake in it,” said one of the White House officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a program that had not yet been formally proposed. “They could help design the program.” As of today, workers in the United States can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after a birth, as long as they’ve worked at a company that employs at least 50 people for a year. A little more than half of American companies already offer the benefit: 58 percent replace at least some wages during maternity leave, and 12 percent cover some leave for dads.

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Here's a image showcasing how utterly pathetic the US is regarding supporting working women compared to developed and even many developing countries: http://ift.tt/2pSpR2S

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2qEDOOJ