“I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say yes, women can.” - President Dilma Rousseff, victory speech, October 31, 2010
Saturday was “International Women’s Day”. And it was my
great honor to attend the premiere of “Madame Presidenta: Why Not U.S.?” at the
Carnegie Museum of Art. This documentary
was written and directed by Heather Arnet of the Women and Girls Foundation. It focuses on the ascension of Dilma Rousseff
to the presidency of Brazil and questions why the United States has yet to
elect a female president.
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| Me with Heather Arnet |
The documentary ended with a discussion of eighteen
developed countries that have had female presidents and noted that these
countries all have rewritten their constitutions to include women and their
rights. They also have progressive policies that include things that American
women have tried to gain for years—equal pay for equal work and mandatory paid
maternity leave. Indeed, Brazil provides women with 120 paid days of maternity
leave. That’s four months of paid maternity leave. In this
country, women who work in large companies are entitled to three months unpaid
leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.
I am getting ready to have my second child. And, mandatory paid maternity leave is a
fantasy that I wish were my reality.
Without mandatory paid maternity leave, many women are forced to choose between having children and keeping their jobs. Other women are forced to choose between giving their children the best possible start and maintaining the respect of their bosses.
Without mandatory paid maternity leave, many women are forced to choose between having children and keeping their jobs. Other women are forced to choose between giving their children the best possible start and maintaining the respect of their bosses.
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| Heather Arnet inspiring young minds |
Paid Maternity Leave Should Not Be a Privilege
Without mandatory paid maternity leave, the length of a
woman’s maternity leave is often at the discretion of her boss. It is a precarious process. Even when the boss is generous, the balance
of power is disrupted. In my case, I
feel as if my boss is giving me a gift for which I will owe him big time.
Indeed, I am coming off being on call for the past 21 days because I feel so
guilty about my upcoming maternity leave.
During this time, I have answered calls on the weekend and at all hours
of the day. Would that have been my
choice? No. However, I felt unable to say no given my upcoming leave. So much for taking it easy as my pregnancy
progresses.
Strong workplace policies that support women communicate a strong message
that women and children matter. The reality is that it is hard to convince young girls that they can be president when we can't convince them that they will receive equal pay for equal work. I am convinced that making maternity leave a
right as opposed to a privilege, and achieving true gender equality in the workplace, are the first steps to electing a female
president. Let’s work to make that
happen.
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