The cover went viral and was all over the internet; and being discussed in just about every mom-forum I am in.
I've said my mind about the cover; and I'm not going to get into that here. Really, it is over and done with, and plenty of puns and "responses" to Time have been posted since this first came out.
What I'm writing about today is a call to action in regards to what is really wrong with being a US citizen and a mom. I read this fantastic article on Moms in Maine entitled: Wake Up Moms - You're Fighting the Wrong Fight; and I couldn't agree more. Go on read it now... I'll wait....
I have signed the petition and I urge you to do the same (if you agree) and to pass on link of the petition to your friends, family and co-workers. I plan on writing a letter to my Congressman and Representative as well (as soon as I find the time). Lastly, while you are at it, I recommend checking out Mom's Rising - and their call to work on improving the maternity leave situation in the US.
This isn't a "women's issue", this is a US family issue - this is something that affects us, as a nation, to the core. It affects the entire family unit; men, women and children. The issue isn't whether or not women should work once they have children, but rather supporting women IN their work. I feel that my breastfeeding relationship with the baby was helped because of my employer and their maternity leave policy; which greatly improved from the Big Boy to the Baby (12 weeks versus 6 weeks, plus working from home part-time).
Having a child isn't a disability, and it is sad that many companies cover maternity leave as a disability. This is a life changing event, and should be treated as such. If every other industrialized nation can find a way to support women (and men alike, many countries offer paternity leave) I should think the US should be able to as well. So let's lend our voices to this conversation and let our representatives in government know maternity leave is a right for ourselves, our wives, our sisters, and our daughters.
2 comments:
Relying on disability insurance to provide leave puts adoptive parents are at an further disadvantage. Since I myself was not sick, I could not claim disability. I also couldn't use my accumulated sick time. All I was left with was vacation.
Ahhh...a topic near and dear to my heart - especially lately. As I found out I will only get about 8 weeks paid if I am lucky for my upcoming maternity leave. 5 of that is Short Term disability and 3 of that is PTO I am saving over the year and going into the hole next year....if only my work would let me carry over more than 40 hours into the new year.
Thanks for speaking out!!
Post a Comment