WNYMoms.com

I just got wind of this article regarding a women in the European Parliment. It happened in the Fall of 2010. Can you imagine a one year maternity leave? I would have loved that!

Would you be willing to pay taxes at the rate they do? I would not.

No, just dreaming about different maternity leave rules : )

I think it would be amazing. A lesson we could learn from many European countries, and Canada. 6 weeks maternity leave is just so sad. I've been lucky enough to be able to bring my children to work with me, another opportunity I think more parents should have.

I think one year of maternity/paternity leave would be awesome too! A friend of mine who is Canadian told me that they receive 6 months of paid leave and 6 months unpaid...so much more family friendly. Fortunately, I am able to stay home with my children now. With the first one I had to go right back to work and I regretted it.
Gail, the taxes would be a killer, but I do wonder if the difference in quality of life would change our perspective?

I wouldn't want to pay the sort of taxes they pay. My friend use to live in Canada and left to become a U.S. citizen because 51% of his pay was being taken to pay his taxes. I believe you can take more unpaid time off with the Family Leave Act in the United States (save up 6 months salary and live off that instead of a lifetime of high Canadian taxes). I stayed at home with my children as long as I could before heading back to work on a steady basis.

Gail, the taxes would be a killer, but I do wonder if the difference in quality of life would change our perspective?

I think that if you want to ensure a good quality of life, you have to provide it for yourself. I believe in saving up for the things you want. If you want to take a year off after having a baby, save up for it.

There are only three ways you can fund an extended maternity leave. Pay for it yourself by saving, legislate that employers must pay for it (which would put many out of business), or make the tax payers pay for it by raising taxes. I do not believe that taxpayers should be forced to pay for other people's life choices. The person who has no children should not be forced to fund two years of paid leave for the women who wants to have four children.

Gail, coming from Europe I can tell you that - at least in Germany - Moms do NOT get paid for the entire year. The extended maternity leave just leaves the opportunity open for you to return to work and still have a job after a year (it used to be up to three years). Here, you either take your leave or quit - and there is no saving up for that, as it will be rough to find a new job let's say after a year, especially in this economy. So it's not as easy as you make it seem. I do not mind at all paying for the working Moms who will eventually return to their work. It's the welfare abusers I have issues with.

Gail, coming from Europe I can tell you that - at least in Germany - Moms do NOT get paid for the entire year.... So it's not as easy as you make it seem.

I never said that they get paid for an entire year. And in the "two years" example I gave above I was responding to the poster who said that in Canada they get six months. (4 kids = 2 years)

I also don't think I made anything seem easy. Saving up for what you want in life is not easy. Demonstrating personal responsibility is not easy. If it were, we wouldn't have so many citizens dependent on entitlement programs.

I would like to see more jobs/careers support maternity or child care leave for up to 2 years, regardless of payment to the mother (or father if it is paternity leave). My friend was lucky enough to keep her job (unpaid beyond 6 weeks) while she was on leave for 2 years. And they did plan ahead (having one car during those years was on sacrifice) and lived frugally. They are an inspiration and she had the right job to support her decision.

of all the countries i know the US has the worst maternity/paternity leave. i am very grateful that my dh can provide for me to stay home with my baby. i wasn't raised here and seeing my pregnant coworkers working till their due date, and going back to work leaving a 8 week old in day care is shocking to me. back home you take time before having the baby, you relax, you enjoy your pregnancy, then you stay home with your baby for at least 6 months.

Lucky mom! So happy for you : ) that you could do what you felt was best for the children.

I'm not willing.

I was a mom who had to go back after 8 weeks. I do wish I had more time, but health care is what the issue was for us. After 12 weeks, we would have had to use cobra and my husband's insurance is so bad that it was not worth paying into his to take more leave...coupled with the fact that I would have been unpaid as well. We saved the best we could. I do not regret the daycare decision in the end. It was a fact of life and one that we had to deal with. I do think that after a certain length of time off, you do owe your employer either your resignation (so he/she can hire someone) or coming back to work. I know people who have been working in a maternity situation for over 2 1/2 years and it is not fair that those people either to have to wonder what is next.

Being a maternity leave "substitute" can also be a great job-opening experience. I had a great "replacement" during my maternity leave. She was hired immediately following my return because she had a great experience and gained many in-the-field recommendations. Sometimes this break is what someone needs to prove what they can do while in the field. In general, it really depends on the maternity replacement person's career needs and expectations at the time. Could be good....could be bad!