Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property DUP_PRO_Global_Entity::$notices is deprecated in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php on line 244
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/bluehost-wordpress-plugin/vendor/newfold-labs/wp-module-ecommerce/includes/ECommerce.php on line 197
Notice: Function wp_enqueue_script was called incorrectly. Scripts and styles should not be registered or enqueued until the wp_enqueue_scripts, admin_enqueue_scripts, or login_enqueue_scripts hooks. This notice was triggered by the nfd_wpnavbar_setting handle. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 3.3.0.) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($search) of type array|string is deprecated in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/mu-plugins/endurance-page-cache.php on line 862
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($search) of type array|string is deprecated in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/mu-plugins/endurance-page-cache.php on line 862
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-content/plugins/duplicator-pro/classes/entities/class.json.entity.base.php:244) in /home2/imszdrmy/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1831
{"id":28507,"date":"2014-05-08T07:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.occasionalplanet.org\/?p=28507"},"modified":"2015-05-13T11:09:44","modified_gmt":"2015-05-13T16:09:44","slug":"living-up-to-our-mothers-day-values-through-better-maternity-leave-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occasionalplanet.org\/2014\/05\/08\/living-up-to-our-mothers-day-values-through-better-maternity-leave-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Living up to our Mother’s Day values through better maternity-leave policies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Find a fragrant bouquet of roses. Purchase a gift card from mom\u2019s favorite store. Pick up grandma and take her out for an afternoon outing of tea and scones. However you choose to celebrate Mother\u2019s Day this year, remember that acknowledging the importance of parenting goes beyond gift giving and the heartfelt attentions of this once-a-year day.<\/p>\n
Secular holidays, like Mother\u2019s Day, are special days when we focus collectively on the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, where we\u2019ve been, and, most importantly, the values we share.<\/p>\n
How well we live up to those values is another matter. Mother\u2019s Day, with all its hyped-up marketing and retail focus, is one of those holidays that draws into sharp focus the gulf between what we claim we believe and what we actually do with those beliefs. Can we honestly claim that our shared ideals about family values and the importance of parenting are adequately addressed by our laws and regulations and honored in our workplaces? Sadly, the answer is a resounding \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk first about the good news. The good news is that unlike some of the other divisive social issues of our time\u2014like climate change, gun violence, health care, or the right to choose\u2014there is near-universal agreement on the importance of the bond between parent and child that begins moments after birth and continues deepening during the days, weeks, and months that follow when the newborn is the most vulnerable and needy. Not surprisingly, psychologists now tell us that the first few weeks of life are among the most determinative for a person\u2019s lifelong sense of well being\u2014an observation that mothers (of course!) have intuited for generations.<\/p>\n
Now for the bad news. The United States has the dubious distinction of being the only industrialized nation in the world\u2014and only one of four nations in total\u2014that does not acknowledge the importance of the first few months of life by mandating paid maternity or parental leave. Belonging to that club, which includes Lesotho (where 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line), Swaziland (a lower-middle-income country), and Papua New Guinea (where 33% of the population lives close to the international poverty line), should make us cringe with embarrassment or weep with frustration.<\/p>\n
An infographic pulled together by The International Labour Organization should be required viewing for everyone this Mother\u2019s Day. The holiday is as good a time as any to do a reality check. The chart shows how the United States, the sixth wealthiest nation in the world where women make up 47% of the work force and working mothers are the sole breadwinners for 40% of American families, stands alone in neglecting to acknowledge and support the essential contribution of parents of the newly born.<\/p>\n
In the world beyond our borders in 178 countries, paid leave is guaranteed for working mothers. In 50 countries, paid leave is guaranteed as well for working fathers. In those enlightened places. new parents can choose to focus their energy and attention on their newborn babies, at least during the first three months of life, and still be secure in the knowledge that they\u2019ll be paid either 100% or 80% of their salaries.<\/p>\n
Here at home, the story couldn\u2019t be more different. Here in America, in the land of family values, we mandate just twelve weeks of unpaid leave, which means that \nnew parents face the wrenching choice between the responsibility and desire to care for their newborns themselves or the financial necessity to keep the weekly paycheck coming.<\/p>\n