Posts Tagged ‘ maternity leave ’

News From Around the Web

February 16, 2012
By

woman reading newsNo time to write this week and so much to discuss. So here’s a round up of news from around the web affecting women. Click the links to learn more.

Let’s start with Virginia, where this week the legislation passed two disturbing bills. The first gives a fertilized egg rights. The second forces a woman seeking an abortion to undergo a vaginal ultrasound -an invasive probe that is medically unnecessary. The Washington Post reports on Virginia House Deputy Majority Leader Todd Gilbert who believes “the vast majority” of abortions are just “matters of lifestyle convenience.’’ The Frisky’s Jessica Wakeman writes of the bills, “I’m frightened, quite frightened.” We should all be worried.

The war on women wages on in Washington as politicians continue to argue about a woman’s access to contraception  – which, we just want to point out, has nothing to do with creating jobs. In fact, if the GOP and the Catholic Bishops had their way, we could be looking at layoffs at birth control manufacturers such as Merck Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Healthcare. Nor, does it have anything to do with religion despite how some try to spin it. This is about controlling women and maintaining a status quo of male dominated workplaces and power bases.

After the Obama administration offered a compromise to the Affordable Care Act, allowing religious-affiliated institutions to opt out of coverage for contraceptives for employees but requiring their insurers to offer the coverage directly to the employee at no cost, Representative Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) filed new legislation. The Blunt amendment would allow an employer to exclude any health service from the coverage they provide based on any religious beliefs or moral convictions. Scary stuff. Contact your legislator today at 1-888-838-5169 and ask them to oppose the Blunt amendment.

Meanwhile, on the airwaves, men are talking about men creating laws that would affect women. Classic. A study found, during a four day period, the leading cable channels had twice as many men as women discussing contraception. Think Progress reported, “Out of a total of 146 guests who discussed contraception, the cables invited 91 men compared to 55 women as commentators. In other words, males comprised 62 percent of the total guests who commented on contraception.”

On the road to the GOP convention, Rick Santorum is surging in the polls. Women beware. The Atlantic wrote about Santorum’s woman problem. But we think it’s more accurate to talk about women’s Santorum problem. This presidential hopeful is opposed to contraception, has questionable views about women in the workplace and strong views about women in combat. It seems Santorum wants us all to stay home and have babies – forever.

And, at a workplace near you, pregnancy bias is alive and well. You probably already knew that. (We did). But here is a new story from MSNBC that supports what many women experience.

 

 

 

Heroine of the Week: California State Senator Noreen Evans

October 9, 2011
By

Pregnant womanThe United States ranks low among industrialized countries when it comes to maternal care and lacks a nationwide policy of paid maternity leave. However, women in one of the largest states, California, are now guaranteed maternity care health coverage thanks to a bill introduced by Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) and signed into law this past week by Governor Jerry Brown. SB 222, the Maternity Coverage Availability Act, requires health insurance plans to provide maternity coverage as part of their individual health insurance policies. Although the law has required group insurance plans to include maternity coverage, the number of policies that include that coverage has dropped from 82 percent in 2004 to only 12 percent in 2010.

Governor Brown also signed SB 299 this week, another maternity-related bill shepherded by Evans. This legislation prevents California women from losing their employer-provided health insurance coverage while on maternity leave.  Currently many women pay steep out-of-pocket costs for maternity care and/or cut short their pregnancy leave because they can’t afford to take it.  According to Moms Rising, almost four in five workers report being unable to take leave because they could not afford it.

“Healthy mothers mean healthy babies. I want the next generation of Californians to get the best possible start in life,” Governor Brown said.

Read “Real Stories of Maternity Leave“

Ignorant Legislator of the Week: Michele Bachmann

October 8, 2011
By
Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann

This week’s Ignorant Legislator award goes to Congresswoman and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Earlier this week, Bachmann introduced  the Heartbeat Informed Consent Act, legislation that would require abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on a woman and “make the heartbeat of the unborn child visible and audible to its mother” prior to performing the abortion.

In a statement Bachmann said, “An unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected as early as five weeks after conception and ultrasound technology is an amazing medical advance that provides a window for a pregnant woman to see her unborn child. My legislation will not only enable this technology to be better used to protect life, but also to ensure that a woman who is considering abortion is finally able to give full and informed consent.”

I take issue with legislation that forces the use of ultrasound technology on a woman planning to terminate a pregnancy especially when it is not always available for a woman who wants to carry a pregnancy to term. My first pregnancy ended in a “missed” miscarriage, which, according to the American Pregnancy Association is, “when embryonic death has occurred but there is not any expulsion of the embryo. Signs of this would be a loss of pregnancy symptoms and the absence of fetal heart tones found on an ultrasound.” When I got pregnant the second time, I was terrified I would miscarry again. I begged for an ultrasound so I could be reassured by the heartbeat, and even though my doctor urged me to reduce my stress, my insurance wouldn’t cover the test that would have reassured me my pregnancy was healthy.

As we’ve written before, “The United States ranks poorly for maternity leave policies, infant mortality rates and maternal death rates. More than two women die every day in the United States from pregnancy related causes. And the incidences of “near-miss” complications, where a woman comes close to dying from pregnancy or childbirth, have increased since 2005.”

Bachmann claims to value life, but shows no leadership when it comes to improving the health of mothers and babies. Instead, she voted against a Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act and recently vowed to cut off access to health services for so many women by defunding Planned Parenthood while she continues to profess her commitment to “life.” Trust women are smart enough to make their own decisions, Rep. Bachmann, and help them get access to necessary prenatal care and maternity leave. Help close the infant mortality gap and show us just how much you value mothers and children.

 

Photo by Gage Skidmore used with Creative Commons license.

 

Pumping at Work: Breastfeeding Awareness Month

August 11, 2011
By

Mother with baby at computerCorporate lactation programs. Private pumping rooms. Informed, supportive HR specialists. If you read enough Best-Places-to Work-for-Mothers articles, you might think this is the reality for mothers returning to work post-baby. But for many women, pumping at work has its challenges.

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month, designed to remind us breast milk has many health benefits for both mother and baby. And there are benefits for businesses too. The World Alliance Breastfeeding Action (WABA) reports the benefits are significant, resulting in, “more satisfied, loyal employees and cost savings to the business” from a reduction in sick time for childrens’ illnesses and lower health insurance.  The organization recommends all businesses “create a maternity policy that supports women in their desire to breastfeed and create a dedicated space where women can express milk in privacy.”

But working women often face challenges when they return to their jobs after maternity leave. Finding the time and a private place to pump can be difficult. Storing milk and cleaning breast pump equipment can be frowned upon in employee break rooms, and working out a pumping plan can be an awkward conversation to have with an unsupportive boss. Even when a company is supportive, it can be exhausting for a new mother to pump milk, manage nighttime feedings and still perform on the job.

We’ve written about these challenges before:

Nursing: Through Rain, Spiders and Toilets

Savvy Gal Pumping

Real Stories of Maternity Leave

The Skinny on Breastfeeding

There is some good news on the breastfeeding front.  The Affordable Care Act does require employers with 50 or more employees to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth.” And earlier this month, U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011 which would expand those provisions to cover salaried employees who work in traditional office environments. Just last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines for women’s preventive services that require health insurance companies to cover “breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling” so that “pregnant and postpartum women will have access to comprehensive lactation support and counseling from trained providers, as well as breastfeeding equipment.”

You can help support working mothers who want to breastfeed. If you’re a manager, find out what your company’s policies and accommodations are and voice your support for a family-friendly workplace. If you’re a soon-to-be working mother, plan ahead. Think about what accommodations you might need when you return to work and schedule a discussion with your HR representative or manager to discuss options. And regardless of your work situation, call your legislators and ask them to support theBreastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011.

Waiting for Walmart v. Dukes

June 18, 2011
By

Female JusticeWhile we wait for a Supreme Court decision on the Walmart v. Dukes class action suit, here are some other important court cases that impact working women.

The Missouri Court of Appeals is allowing Francine Katz, who was the highest ranking woman at Anheuser-Busch, to continue her gender discrimination suit against the brewer. Anheuser-Busch wanted the matter to be dealt with in arbitration. Katz, the former vice president of communications and consumer affairs for the company, has accused Anheuser-Busch of a frat-like, locker-room atmosphere and of paying her less than her male peers. Katz was paid 50 percent less than her male predecessor and learned that every male member of the company’s strategy committe was classified as a Tier I officer, but both women on the committee were Tier II officers.

Several months ago, employees at Bayer Pharmaceutical filed a discrimination case against the company for unfair policies around “pay, promotions and pregnancy leave” and for creating a hostile work environment. The suit was originally filed by six female employees and then expanded to include all female sales representatives and women in the Bayer Healthcare Consumer Care unit. The women say Bayer ignored their complaints. One incident cited in the suit is garnering media attention. A male employee road the elevator with a female employee who was eating an oblong-shaped donut and told her his day would improve if he, “could watch that whole donut slide down your throat.” Bayer denies the allegations.

Meanwhile retailer Best Buy just proposed a settlement in a discrimination class action on behalf of women and minority employees. The suit alleged that Best Buy discriminates against women, African American, and Latino employees and denied them promotions and access to lucrative sales positions. Best Buy denied the allegations but said the settlement was in the best interest of the company.

Moving from gender discrimination to sexual harassment, a woman in Illinois was recently awarded $95 million by a federal jury. This is reported to be the largest award in an individual sexual harassment case. The woman will likely receive less due to legal caps on damages, and the defendant plans to appeal the verdict. The woman worked at Aarons, a lease-to-own furniture company, and was sexually assaulted by her  manager after a year of harassment. Her lawyers said she called a company harassment hotline but never received any help. The suit also says her manager was once reprimanded for his behavior while she was present.

In May UBS Financial Services Inc. was ordered to pay $10 million in a sexual harassment case brought forward by a Missouri employee.

In California, a woman lost her harassment case against a local Teamsters union because the statute of limitations deadline had passed. However, the jury did believe the woman worked in a hostile environment where “party girls” were present at workplace functions sitting on the bosses lap and giving massages.

(For a great piece on what management can do to protect themselves from sexual harassment occuring in the workplace, check out Victoria Pynchon’s article at Forbes.com.)

Gender discrimination and sexual harassment cases are very tough to fight. Even in last year’s ruling against Novartis (the court awarded $250 million in punitive damages in that gender discrimination case) the plaintives were accused of lying and being overly-emotional and fragile – by the defense. Women’s work performance,  personal character, even their personal lives are  shredded during a case. And many lawyers won’t take individual cases as the dollars involved don’t make it worth their time. The Walmart case will have major implications for future suits.

Walmart v. Dukes is the largest class action suit to be brought before the courts. The size of the class has been reported at 1.5 million women. The Supreme Court is not determining if Walmart is guilty of discrimination. Rather they are ruling on whether or not the women who have worked at WalMart have enough in common to be considered a class. Walmart lawyers have argued the women have little in common except gender. If the court rules in favor of the employees, Walmart could face a huge payout. If the court rules against the class, many women could be denied an opportunity to deal with any individual discrimination cases they may have. A decision is expected any day now.

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MLB Adds Paternity Leave Policy

April 22, 2011
By
Richie Whitt

Richie Whitt

A Major League Baseball player took paternity leave and another April fool was revealed.

Following Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis’ decision to be present at the birth of his child instead of pitching a game, Dallas Observer writer Richie Whitt expressed his displeasure.

Whitt wrote, “Baseball players are paid millions to play baseball. If that means “scheduling” births so they occur in the off-season, then so be it. Of the 365 days in a year, starting pitchers “work” maybe 40 of them, counting spring training and playoffs.

If it was a first child, maybe. But a second child causing a player to miss a game? Ludicrous.”

Wow. Whitt’s column, even if it was just intended to grab attention, makes it easier to understand why women, and mothers in particular, face discrimination at work. Clearly, the attitude that childbirth and parenting is great but… is deep-rooted. I am reminded of one former boss who told me how annoyed she was that I got pregnant. She worked very hard running the company, she told me, and because of my due date, she would have to reschedule her vacation. Oh, and by the way, no bonus for me that year.

I get the challenges a business owner faces managing interruptions and workforce shortages. I do. I’ve managed enough teams and picked up slack enough times to know it hurts. But that comes with being a manager, or a business owner. And taking those positions is a choice. And, when you look at the lifetime value of an employee, is one game, or in my case, 8 and half weeks of unpaid leave, really that significant? When you consider, in the corporate world anyway, the cost of losing an employee, then rehiring, and retraining a replacement, isn’t it better to make accommodations? Or consider the employee doesn’t leave. They stay, bitter and disgruntled. That costs too. Think of Nomar in the 2004 Red Sox clubhouse. Which leads us back to baseball.

I get the passion for the game. I do. I’ve been a member of Red Sox Nation since birth. And as fans we get swept up and forget our favorite team is made up of real people with lives outside the ball field. That’s part of what makes it fun. Sports allow us to escape reality and be part of a game we have no ability to actually play.  But in reality, sports are big business. And those businesses must address the same work/life challenges any other business faces.

It’s important to note many of the commenters to Whitt’s piece disagreed with what he wrote and supported the leave. That’s encouraging. Less encouraging were those who supported Lewis’ decision because it’s only April. September, now that would have been a different story. And this is baseball with approximately 30 starts. But a quarteback in the NFL? Also a different story.

I think it’s the exact same story. But then again, I don’t know nothin’ bout football.

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Photo from sportressofblogitude.com used with Creative Commons Attribution License.

The Hypocrisy of the Pro”Life” Movement

February 26, 2011
By

Planned Parenthood

Anti-woman action and legislation in this country is out of control.  Take a look at what’s happening right now:

Congress

The House voted to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides millions of people affordable healthcare including sex education, contraception, and screens for cervical and other cancers. The move came under the guise of trimming the budget. Meanwhile, the Army’s multimillion dollar sponsorship of NASCAR, was approved.

Pending legislation includes H.R. 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act“, which caused an uproar because it included language about “forcible” rape. Isn’t all rape forcible? Legislators promised to remove that phrasing but guess what? It’s still there. And remember, there is no federal funding of abortion today.

H.R. 358, the so-called “Protect Life Act,” can be interpreted so that medical personnel can refuse services to a woman in need of an abortion, even if the woman’s life is in jeopardy.

State-level Activity

Georgia: There’s a bill on the books in Georgia,  HB 1 which seeks to make prenatal murder unlawful and punishable by death. Miscarriages are exempt from the bill so long as “there is no human involvement whatsoever.” And how is that determined? According to the bill, “When a spontaneous fetal death required to be reported by this Code section occurs without medical attendance at or immediately after the delivery or when inquiry is required by … the ‘Georgia Death Investigation Act,’ the proper investigating official shall investigate the cause of fetal death and shall prepare and file the report within 30 days.”

Texas: Legislators in the Lone Star State are discussing whether a woman seeking an abortion must see a sonogram and hear the heartbeat first, even if the pregnancy was the result of sexual assault.

At the risk of going to jail, I’ll tell you my first pregnancy resulted in miscarriage. During my second pregnancy I was so scared I asked my doctor at each visit for a sonogram in order to calm my fears. I didn’t get them because my insurance wouldn’t pay for them. And yet the funding exists for forced sonograms.

Nebraska: Despite the fact South Dakota abandoned a similar bill, Nebraska legislators are considering LB 232 which says, “the use of force upon or toward the person of another is justifiable” in order to protect an unborn child.

Virginia: The State Senate just passed a bill that requires abortion clinics to be regulated like hospitals. The bill requires clinics to retrofit their facilities in order to meet hospital standards and submit to an expensive  certification process. The bill is framed by supporters as a pro-woman bill seeking to improve their medical care, but they don’t seem to be concerned about other medical procedures that are performed in doctor’s offices instead of hospitals like colonoscopies, cosmetic and dental surgery.

The hypocrisy of these bills is unbelievable.

  • Limiting access to prenatal care and contraception,
  • redefining rape,
  • refusing to care for a woman in need of help,
  • criminal investigations of miscarriages,
  • forcing a rape victim to see a sonogram,
  • justifiable use of force,

all in the name of life.

The United States ranks poorly for maternity leave policies, infant mortality rates and maternal death rates. More than two women die every day in the United States from pregnancy related causes. And the incidences of “near-miss” complications, where a woman comes close to dying from pregnancy or childbirth, have increased since 2005. And yet, the lawmakers sponsoring these bills are blocking access to much-needed health services.

Ladies, call your Senators and Representatives and tell them to stay out of your uterus and take care of the country.

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2010 Political Review (Slideshow)

December 31, 2010
By

Here is a look back at just a few of the political stories we were talking about in 2010. What do you think 2011 will bring?

5 Books for Your Holiday Reading List

December 22, 2010
By

Five Must-Read Books for Women

We love the holidays because we have time to finish all of the books we’ve started during the year. The house is clean, the office is closed and the parties are over. We just sit in front of the fire and turn pages. Need some reading recommendations? Here are our top five picks:

“No Excuses:9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power” by Gloria Feldt

Gloria Feldt is a powerhouse – and she knows how to use her power for the greater good. She’s a leader, a mentor, and an inspiration. This book will clear your path to success, stripping away any of the barriers you think are in your way.

“A is for Asshole: The Grownups’ ABCs of Conflict Resolution“ by Victoria Pynchon.

You know how inspired we’ve been by the She Negotiates course –read the book from one of the course leaders. You too can master the conflicts in your life.

“Her Place at the Table” by Deborah M. Kolb, PhD; Judith Williams, PhD; Carol Frolinger, JD

“Her Place at the Table” is another great book grounded in negotiating skills that helps women navigate the challenges of the business world. The authors do a fantastic job of mixing research and real life stories to instruct and inspire women.

“Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV” by Jennifer L. Pozner

Pozner is is founder and executive director of Women In Media & News (WIMN), a media analysis, education and advocacy group. We haven’t cracked this book yet, but we’re looking forward to reading it. Pozner promises to debunk the fairy tales, beauty myths and negative stereotyping of women served up nightly on reality tv shows. If you’ve got a “Real Housewives” habit like we do, read this book.

“The War on Moms: On Life in a Family-Unfriendly Nation” by Sharon Lerner

This is a must-read for mothers, their families, and the people who employee them. Lerner lays out the realities of women trying to manage work, maternity leave, childcare, and careers.

Happy Holidays and happy reading!

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Two Questions

September 10, 2010
By

Ladies,

We have two questions for our working women readers (full and part time). You can either contact us at info@helloladies.com or leave a comment to answer.

1. If you are married or live with a partner, who does most of the housework and childrearing?

2. What was your maternity leave experience? It’s been a year since we published Real Stories of Maternity Leave and we’re wondering, what if anything, has changed?

Thanks!

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