Mother Jones does a great job with some of the visual pieces it runs with various data illustrating our economic stratification. I frequently link to this one about income inequality, because it is simply indispensable for illustrating just how far down the plutocracy rabbit hole we have ventured. But they have another great illustrated feature up called Overworked America that is well worth your time.
I think one of the most shocking and saddest chart is the one where it shows that most of the African continent requires paid maternity leave. The US still has no such requirement. Parents must take time off through short-term disability and the Family Medical Leave of Absence Act. Short-term disability is an insurance benefit (and not 100% of your salary in most cases), and FMLA is unpaid. It just prevents your employer from firing you while you are out on FMLA approved leave.
So yeah. We are behind Africa in the benefits we afford to new mothers. Africa. You know, that giant chunk of land south of Europe and Asia that doesn't exactly boast a reputation of modern, civilized democracies but more often than not brings to mind images of genocide, famine, sectarian violence, and civil war. That's the continent that affords mandatory paid maternity leave. Not ours.
No comments:
Post a Comment