Maternity Leaves Getting Shorter

Celebrities, politicians and other women in high-profile jobs are heading back to work soon after having their babies. Are abbreviated maternity leaves becoming the new norm for new mothers, especially now, with the recession looming over their heads?

What do TV star Alison Sweeney, Gov. Sarah Palin and French Justice Minister Rachida Dati have in common? They all went back to work just days after giving birth -- and they aren't the only ones. More and more moms are cutting their maternity leaves short, citing economic and career pressures as the main reasons for their quick return to the office.

A recent story on MomLogic points out that the United States is one of the few developed countries that doesn't offer women a lengthy paid maternity leave. In fact, a Harvard University study showed that of 168 countries surveyed, 163 had some kind of paid leave for new moms.

So which countries don't subsidize new moms, you ask? Swaziland, Lesotho, Paupa New Guinea -- and the good old US of A.

Stateside, women are forced to cobble together a leave made up of short-term disability, vacation days, sick leave and unpaid leave. In these tough economic times, it isn't feasible for most mothers to take unpaid time off to be with their babies. And let's not forget about the fact that taking six months off work makes it a lot harder to get that promotion.


Bonnie Stewart, 37, is one of the lucky ones -- she lives on Prince Edward Island, in Canada, one of the countries that does offer extended paid maternity leave.

Nonetheless, this mom of two isn't taking any chances. She plans to go back to work a full five months earlier than normal after the birth of her daughter, Josephine, and began applying for jobs much sooner than she did after the birth of her first child, Oscar, almost three years ago. The current downturn is affecting her less than others, Stewart says, because she and her husband haven't been "living the dream," but she is still aware that good positions are few and far between right now.

"The economy is a factor in my applying to new jobs earlier this time than I did with my first," Stewart says. "I know that competition for what jobs there are will be even stiffer than it was two years ago, when I was looking for work after Oscar's birth."

Stewart also points out that while Canada does subsidize new mothers, there is still an economic impact from being out of work for 12 months.

"Canada offers employment insurance to new parents for 50 weeks after a baby's birth, but the amount caps at approximately $1,500 per month (or 55 percent of salary), so unless one's workplace offers a top-up, many families find this limited compared to usual earnings," she explains. "Top-up was not available to me, as I don't have an ongoing employer or a job to go back to."

Julie Murphy does have a job waiting for her, but she says she is "heartbroken" that she will only have a scant nine weeks at home with her new daughter, Brenna. Murphy, 30, is a first-time mom from Champaign, IL, and her decision to return to the office three weeks early was driven by her childcare situation.

"A space opened up for us earlier than expected at our preferred daycare facility, and I can't afford to pass it up.," Murphy says. "Other factors include the fact that my maternity leave chews through all of my vacation and sick days, and I'm about to run out and go on unpaid instead of paid leave, which also means I'll have to pay through the nose to keep our insurance benefits."

While she knows this is the best decision for her family, Murphy still worries that her daughter will suffer: "She's so little, and she's not going to see very much of me anymore. Just in the mornings, for about two hours in the evenings, and at night feedings. She's going to see so much more of the daycare workers than she will of her parents, it breaks my heart."

Like Stewart, I was one of the lucky ones: When my first child was born, I managed to take three months off without taking a serious pay cut. The second time around, I found myself back at work a scant four weeks after the baby came. Granted, I work as a freelancer, but that doesn't mean I didn't want time to bond with my new baby. But no work means no money in the bank, and so I had to make a tough choice. For me, the only alternative was to get back in the saddle as soon as my C-section incision healed up.

Do I feel like my baby and I suffered because I went back to work after just one month? Yes, I do, but I didn't have a choice. Knowing that my situation isn't unique is cold comfort, indeed. Isn't it time we demanded what most other women in the Western world take for granted?

Are you taking a shorter-than-expected maternity leave? Is the recession forcing you back into the office before you and your baby are ready?