It is not just that America's attitude differs from the rest of the world; the gap in maternal leave has its roots in the aftermath of World War Two. European social democracies that formed after the war “wanted paid leave policies in part because of their concern about replenishing the population," claims Ruth Milkman, a professor of sociology at CUNY (Kurtzleben). Europe …show more content…
This led to the revival of the question on maternity leave. Becoming a new parent is a huge undertaking, and for mothers who are forced to take unpaid family leave, the situation becomes infinitely more challenging. Paid maternity leave is needed to encourage women to take time off to cope with the formidable health implications of childbirth rather than rushing back to work. Taking advantage of this policy will not only benefit women’s health, but will be economically profitable to women and individual businesses. Considering these facts, the United States should institute a law requiring paid maternity leave to working