In the US 25% of mothers are back at work within 2 weeks of childbirth (https://www.vox.com/2015/8/21/9188343/maternity-leave-united...). FMLA requires jobs to let mothers take time but does not require they be paid, and most folks are living paycheck to paycheck and need the money.
It's a Department of Labor study, so presumably done on people already in the labor force. Doesn't change how terrible the stat is, even assuming 50% of mothers aren't in the labor pool that'd still be 12% of mothers back in work in under two weeks.
Now that I've recently become a parent, it's... it's shocking. The idea of handing someone that young and helpless off to strangers raises a strong "NO!" reaction, right from the gut instead of the brain.
In my neck of the woods we get 1.5 years maternity leave, and experiencing it myself I'm honestly not sure even that is enough.
Strong agree. My son is nine months old now and if we had to put him in day care tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind. It takes a village and all that. Happy to delay that a little while longer, though.
