141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

284067
Paid maternity leave as health policy: Maternal well-being and participation in the labor market

Monday, November 4, 2013

Ruth C. White, PhD, MPH, MSW , Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Social Work, Seattle University, Seattle, WA
OBJECTIVE: This paper will analyze the social, economic and psychological benefits of paid maternity leave and argue that it be available for all women in the USA. BACKGROUND: The discussion about maternity leave is an issue of women's rights and is particularly relevant in debates about fertility rate changes. Women have paid maternity leave in almost all countries of the world except a few that include the USA. All OECD countries have paid maternity leave. THE STUDY: The analysis uses comparative data from OECD countries, economic principles, public health metrics, and social justice principles, to analyze the social and economic costs and benefits of paid maternity leave. RESULTS: There is a significant class disparity with women in high status/high income positions having access to several weeks of paid maternity leave whereas working class women do not; nor do women who work at firms with <50 employees. The economic imperatives for having paid maternity leave include retention of women in the workforce after childbearing, closing the gender gap in employment and pay, and increased income in the present and at retirement. There are also social and psychological benefits for women, including the safety and security that comes from financial independence. The health benefits for infants include a longer breast-feeding period. CONCLUSION: It is in the economic and social interest of the USA to federally mandate paid maternity leave for all. RECOMMENDATIONS: Strategies for moving the issue forward politically will be discussed and explored with the audience.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the basic social and economic imperatives for paid maternity leave as a federal health policy Compare the USA to other countries with regard to paid maternity leave Evaluate the health, economic, social and psychological impacts of paid maternity leave.

Keywords: Maternal Well-Being, Workplace Stressors

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a MPH in Maternal and Child Health, a MSW, a PhD in Social Welfare and I have 6 economics classes including Public Finance (LSE) and Economics of Gender and Family (Seattle U). The paper is an extension of an assignment for the latter class.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.