Would a government-funded baby bonus have influenced your decision about whether or not to have children?
Since returning to office in January, US president Donald Trump has announced a number of controversial plans, sparking debate around the world. One such proposal reportedly being considered by the Trump administration, which has hit the headlines this week, is the notion of paying all new mothers in the US a $5,000 bonus following the birth of a child.
While it has not been confirmed that the plan will definitely be introduced, Trump has previously spoken about his desire to provide an uplift to American families.
The US birth rate currently stands at a record low, following a number of years of decline, according to figures from the National Center for Health Statistics.
But, given the cost of raising a child to the age of 18 in the US is estimated to sit in the region of $414,000, would a $5,000 baby bonus really make a difference to couples and individuals who are debating whether to start a family or have an additional child?
The US is one of just a handful of countries around the world that does not offer some form of paid maternity leave. Its Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees job protection for up to 12 weeks after childbirth or adoption for employees with at least a year’s service with an organisation which employs at least 50 employees. But, while the law guarantees that individuals will not be penalised for taking maternity leave, it does not require staff to be paid for the time they take. Separately, some states, including California, New Jersey and New York, do offer partially paid leave.
What is likely to make more of a difference to working parents is having access to support from employers in being able to juggle work and family commitments. Some organisations do go above and beyond statutory minimum requirements and offer some form of paid parental leave, as well as benefits to support working parents. However, this is very much at the discretion of individual employers.
To me, three months feels like a very short length of time of time for someone to both recover from pregnancy and birth, and bond with their baby. At 12 weeks old, babies are only just starting to emerge from the newborn phase, which seems so young to be separated from their parents during the working day. The impact of leaving such a young child to return to work on a new mother’s emotional and mental wellbeing should also not be underestimated.
Anecdotally, I have also read numerous accounts of mothers who had to leave their newborns and return to work much earlier because they couldn’t afford to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
Rather than taking steps to encourage individuals to have (more) children, therefore, should the focus for US politicians instead be on how to better support working parents at all stages of parenthood?
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
@DebbieLovewell
