By Elizabeth Schroeder
As Mother’s Day approaches, Americans are surrounded by familiar, feel-good images. From moms joining impromptu dance parties, to cheering on the sidelines, to applying bandages to skinned knees, the implicit message is clear: we love celebrating our mothers. However, this rosy portrayal ignores the harsh reality of working families: navigating parenthood without access to paid family leave.
While our commercials revere our moms, our policies force one in four to return to work within 10 days of giving birth. I’ve yet to see an ad featuring a pregnant woman, gripping a calculator, and agonizing over impossible equations: how many times can I get sick without cutting into my time with the baby? What if there are complications with my pregnancy? How much unpaid time can I take and still put food on the table?
We are a nation that claims to value our families. Yet, when it comes to our policies, we fail to put our money where our mouth is: the U.S. is the only industrialized country with no national paid family leave. For many — particularly single parents, low-wage earners, and those caring for ill or disabled family members — lack of paid leave isn’t an inconvenience; it’s harmful in dire and lasting ways.
While the U.S. has the world’s largest economy, we also have among the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world. Black mothers fare the worst, with mortality rates more than twice those of white mothers. However, even moms who experience relatively healthy pregnancies and deliveries need a substantial recovery period. A Salford University study concluded that it takes a full year to recover physically and emotionally after giving birth — far longer than our country’s average parental leave of 10 weeks.