In The US, Unpaid Maternity Leave Costs Moms Almost $10k

Practically everyone agrees that motherhood is one of the hardest jobs out there, but let’s be honest, nobody is getting compensated like it is (at least in the U.S.). In fact, a new survey shows that new mothers actually lose a significant amount of money, in large part due to unpaid maternity leave.

The survey, published today by What to Expect, found that 51 percent of parents in this country take some form of unpaid leave to care for a new baby, and as a result, miss out on an average of $9,480.

The survey included responses from 2,275 women ages 18 to 54, who were currently pregnant or have at least one child up to 5 years old.

In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act grants 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave to most workers. But paid parental leave is not a given — in fact, only 13 states have passed legislation mandating paid family leave. Even in instances where paid family leave is required, it can be for as little as six weeks, like in Wisconsin.

This is in stark contrast to other comparable countries. OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries offer on average 18.6 weeks of paid maternity leave. They also largely pay well, with 16 countries paying mothers 100 percent of their earnings — not exactly the American experience.

Given that the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 14 weeks of leave to heal from pregnancy, it’s no surprise that moms in the U.S. often feel like they have to take a period of unpaid leave, even if it’s in addition to their state’s required paid period.

The women surveyed reported taking an average of 11 weeks of leave, with 25 percent taking six weeks or less — most likely not enough time to feel back to your old self.

The numbers are even lower for non-childbearing partners, who took an average of five weeks off, with 29 percent taking only a few days or no time at all — meaning less time to bond with a new baby, and less time to help out with the parent at home.

The survey found that the vast majority of parents did not feel like their leave period was long enough, but they felt like they had no other choice than to return to work.

"I would just love to have more time to recover and bond with my baby," said one respondent. "Six to eight weeks are not enough, and I do not have a choice to stay home due to the fact that it would not financially work for my family."

While parents return to work earlier-than-preferred in an attempt to avoid financial loss, the survey respondents still reported the average loss of $9,480.

Families reported having to make significant changes to their finances, with 43 percent cutting back on non-essential spending, 37 percent making budget cuts and 37 percent having to dip into their savings.

“I am using all of my savings to cover my expenses while I am out of work,” reported one respondent.

24 percent of respondents reported increasingly relying on credit cards due to their new financial difficulties, and 10 percent also stopped contributing to retirement accounts.

So yes, the numbers are grim. But What To Expect hopes to address them by advocating for a national paid family leave policy. You can too, by reaching out to your representatives on your own, or through the What To Expect Project website.

Or, we can gaze into the distance and dream of moving to some distant European country with four months of fully-paid leave (I’m coming for you, Austria).