Comments on: Our culture’s growing breastpump addiction

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:42:06 +0000

The USA and Australia are the only countries in the world that don’t have some guaranteed paid leave. Wikipedia has a good chart under “parental leave around the world.” If almost everyone else can prioritize this, why can’t the US?

These countries manage, and in fact, are often more likely to have the employee come back. I lived in Scotland for a while, and it’s common there to have people come in on a temporary basis to cover maternity leave. Job shares are also very common.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:28:41 +0000

Our society would REALLY pay the price when businesses have to hold a job open for six months, waiting for someone who may or may not come back, having no ability to fill that job with an experienced, permanent employee. It’s absurd. No one ever thinks about that price. It’s only about what’s good for ME.

By: Adina

Adina — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:05:37 +0000

At a bare minimum we should protect (and *really* protect) jobs for a six month leave. My employer does do that, and knowing I had those crucial months to be with and, yes, nurse my daughter made my and her eventual transition to work and daycare pretty seamless. We were both ready.

I agree with LouAnn. We are all too close to the brink on a daily basis. Our society is paying the price.

By: LouAnn

LouAnn — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:07:07 +0000

It’s not just about saving up the money for x number of months. It’s about having a job when your time at home is over and you are ready to go back to work. If we were a family-friendly society, we would ALL benefit, even people without kids like me. Acting like people’s home lives are just their personal lives ignores the fact that we’re all in this together. I would love for new parents to get time off. I’d also like to have that privilege if I needed 6 months to care for, or make long-term arrangesment for care, for a parent or a sick spouse, brother or sister. The cruel, impersonal model of working life just doesn’t cut it anymore. People are stressed on a daily basis, and destroyed by a family emergency.

By: Wheatie

Wheatie — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:06:46 +0000

I am not sure about the legalities, but our secretary at work thinks that she is legally entitled to take a twenty minute pump break every two hours on our employer’s dime. She has mentioned several times that she can because it is the law. This doesn’t count her lunch hour. I am all for mothers doing what is best, but this isn’t fair to the office either.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:26:40 +0000

American mothers who want to stay home for six months may (and should) save up enough money to do so prior to the baby’s arrival, say, during the 40 wks of pregnancy. It shouldn’t be up to other Americans to pay for that choice.