Why do we need longer maternity leave?

Becoming a mum has made Selin start to see things differently and this week, as she struggles with getting back to work, she wants to discuss why we need longer maternity leaves:

As I dropped off my five-and-a-half month-old daughter at daycare this week, I struggled to let go. Seeing her quietly start playing with the toys on the floor, looking curiously at the other babies, I intensely felt that our separation was too soon, perhaps more for me than her.

In fact, I restarted work back in July, only three months after my daughter was born. Being freelance meant that I could be flexible and not work full time, but I still needed to find childcare. Until now, we managed with a combination of having a nanny and grandparents. Not working would have meant not earning. And not earning is not really an option, particularly when you’ve just added a third member to your family and moved into a bigger apartment that costs more than before.

Before going on maternity leave I thought that having 16 weeks paid, what you can get as a self-employed worker in France, and the minimum for employees, was a good deal. But you get to essentially just spend three months of that with your baby. The other weeks are for before you give birth.

At the end of my leave I acutely felt that it just wasn’t long enough.

In the UK, the paid maternity leave for self-employed could be up to 39 weeks. It’s the second longest paid leave in the OECD. The amount paid is less than in France, but it is for much longer. Across the OECD, the average length of maternity leave is 18.5 weeks, ranging from 43 weeks in Greece to none in the United States.

Considering how much of the childcare, particularly in those early months, is on the mother, who herself is recovering from the major trauma that was childbirth, none or just a few weeks is definitely not enough. And it is a clear indication that the rules were made for a world created by men, for men. 

Research has shown that longer maternity leaves are related to lower infant mortality and reduced maternal stress. It has also been shown that longer paid leaves increase breastfeeding, which has a number of benefits both for the baby and the mum, and that every additional week of paid leave can reduce the likelihood of reporting poor mental health by 2%.

Better Life Lab, an organisation that provides original research around work and family, found 52 weeks of paid leave is ideal for infant and child health – six months for each parent. The International Labour Organization’s minimum recommendation is 18 weeks. 

Financially, a lot of employers will say that having an employee out of work for so long is damaging to the business and woman’s career. There have been many, many instances of women being discriminated against just because employers think they are of an age when they might want a child. Pregnant women have been passed over for promotions and those on maternity leave have conveniently had their roles made redundant. 

But in reality giving paid leave to parents has economic benefits in the long run. Paid leave increases the probability that mothers will return to work, work longer hours and earn higher wages. So it might not help an individual business but it will help society in the end. 

As I wake up for the 10th time at night, trying to comfort my daughter who is going through her first illness, clearly caught at daycare, I am trying to figure out how to balance work and taking care of her in the morning.