Equity in Parental Leave Policy for Low-Income Latina Mothers
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Dimitri Kelly
Location
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Subject Area
Political Science
Description
Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is not universally available in the United States. Instead, the U.S. provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave to parents through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). However, your employer is only required to adhere to FMLA if they employ 50 or more employees. Certain states such as Oregon and California have attempted to address the issue of paid parental leave, but this has only created greater discrepancies in parental leave policies across the U.S. The end result is a lack of paid parental leave for all parents; this raises several questions as to what the impact is on both parents and children. The new Trump administration has attempted to propose a Maternity Leave Policy that fails to take into consideration fathers, adoptive parents, LGBTQ+ families, and low-income families. This study seeks to address a question that appears to be missing from the nationwide discussion and literature about parental leave: What impact does the lack of access to paid parental leave have on low-income Latina mothers? This research focuses on low-income Latina mothers in Yamhill County utilizing a qualitative approach to gather information via interviews. The result is a resounding consensus amongst the mothers interviewed that suggests access to paid parental leave for low-income mothers would be beneficial. This study aims to provide a real-world perspective to the gap and consequences that will be created by Trump’s proposed Maternity Leave Policy.
Recommended Citation
Gómez Horta, Sara, "Equity in Parental Leave Policy for Low-Income Latina Mothers" (2017). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 87.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2017/all/87
Equity in Parental Leave Policy for Low-Income Latina Mothers
Vivian A. Bull Music Center: Delkin Recital Hall
Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is not universally available in the United States. Instead, the U.S. provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave to parents through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). However, your employer is only required to adhere to FMLA if they employ 50 or more employees. Certain states such as Oregon and California have attempted to address the issue of paid parental leave, but this has only created greater discrepancies in parental leave policies across the U.S. The end result is a lack of paid parental leave for all parents; this raises several questions as to what the impact is on both parents and children. The new Trump administration has attempted to propose a Maternity Leave Policy that fails to take into consideration fathers, adoptive parents, LGBTQ+ families, and low-income families. This study seeks to address a question that appears to be missing from the nationwide discussion and literature about parental leave: What impact does the lack of access to paid parental leave have on low-income Latina mothers? This research focuses on low-income Latina mothers in Yamhill County utilizing a qualitative approach to gather information via interviews. The result is a resounding consensus amongst the mothers interviewed that suggests access to paid parental leave for low-income mothers would be beneficial. This study aims to provide a real-world perspective to the gap and consequences that will be created by Trump’s proposed Maternity Leave Policy.
