Essay Sample on Maternity and Paternity Leave

It is important to note that leave is granted to parents for the benefit of the newborn child. Notably, maternity leave is defined as a time off from the job that is granted to a mother to take care of the newborn child while paternity leave is time off from work given to a father after the birth of his child (Van Belle, 2016). The aim of this paper is to create a fact sheet concerning both maternity and paternity leave by indicating the positive impacts on the development of the child.

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Various countries have adopted varying rules and regulations regarding employee leave. In most cases, the fact is that most countries provide for twelve weeks for employees who have worked for one continuous year for maternity leave (Van Belle, 2016). Out of the twelve weeks, eight are paid week leave while four weeks is unpaid leave. However, for workers who have not worked fully for one year, the law is different as all the twelve weeks of leave are unpaid for. For the paternity leave, United States, for example, is adopting a law that provides for five paid days for employees who are becoming fathers and have worked for one full year by the expected date of birth (Cools et al., 2015). Those who have not worked for one continuous year will be granted five days of unpaid leave. It should, however, be noted that the rules and regulations concerning maternity and paternity leave are applied differently in different countries.

Understandably, the first years of life are believed to be an essential period for any child development. All over the world, children are raised in families where both parents are working; therefore, they have limited time with their newborns (Van Belle, 2016). Maternity and paternity leave is a crucial aspect that has been designed to improve the ability of parents to balance both home and workplace needs. It cannot be denied that the wellbeing of a mother ensures healthy outcomes leading to quality maternity leave (Baker & Milligan, 2015). The good health of a mother will, therefore, be translated to the newborn, which will ensure the positive development of the newborn both emotionally and psychologically. The economic benefits offered to mothers during the leave also plays a critical role in the development of the child (Baker & Milligan, 2015).

Paternity leave also helps in the positive development of the newborn (Cools et al., 2015). It has been noticed that when fathers bond with their newborns at the early stage of life, they play an essential role in child development. Studies have suggested that when children positively interact with their fathers, they develop self-esteem, better psychological health, as well as life-satisfaction in their later years of development (Cools et al., 2015).

In conclusion, child development during the early stages of life immensely depends on parental presence. The roles that parents play on the psychological and emotional development of their children cannot be understated. As a result, both maternity and paternity leave granted to employees perform a very crucial role in achieving this objective of the positive development of the newborn, especially regarding their behaviors.

References

Baker, M., & Milligan, K. (2015). Maternity leave and children’s cognitive and behavioral development. Journal of Population Economics, 28(2), 373-391. www.nber.org/papers/w17105.pdf

Cools, S., Fiva, J. H., & Kirkebøen, L. J. (2015). Causal effects of paternity leave on children and parents. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 117(3), 801-828. www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/49474/1/664390196.pd

Van Belle, J. (2016). Paternity and parental leave policies across the European Union. rand. www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1600/RR1666/RAND_RR1666.pdf