Paid Parental Leave Legislation

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The United States is the only developed country to not have a paid parental leave legislation on the books. This is a compelling issue because research has shown that there are many benefits to providing paid parental leave. Studies in Australia and Sweden show that passing paid parental leave can have a positive impact on life satisfaction, child mortality rates, child cognitive development, family bonding, parental stress, and an increase in breastfeeding rates. The United States (U.S.) has taken steps forward at the state level, there are currently five states and one territory that have implemented a paid family leave legislation (Adema, Clarke, & Frey, 2016). There has even been a U.S. bill passed to provide paid family leave for up to 4 weeks to government employees (Cohen, 2010). Therefore, there is evidence within the U.S. that paid parental leave has benefits and can …show more content…
Parental stress is defined as the adverse psychological reaction to the demands of being a parent (Widarsson et al., 2013). The most common stressors are anxiety about being a new parent, financial stability, sleep deprivation, and strain on couples relationship (Parfitt & Ayers, 2014; Redshaw & Martin, 2012; Widarsson et al., 2013). Single moms tend to have higher stressors and often fall into the low-income bracket. Low-income parents are the least likely to be able to afford taking an unpaid leave and have less access to paid leave (Adema et al., 2016; Copeland & Harbaugh, 2005). This leaves most parents left with the extra stress of having to maneuver through the patchwork of social services to take time away from work and mothers risking health complications by returning to work too soon after childbirth. All that on top of the added implications that limited or no parental leave can have on the bonding time and child’s