The value of motherhood: paid maternity leave discourse in major U.S. media outlets in the years 2014-2018

Authors

  • Aleksandra Rabenda Institute of History, Vistula University ul. Stokłosy 3, 02-787 Warszawa, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2021.1.68.85

Keywords:

Maternity, paid maternity leave, social policy, family, parental leaves, American society, media

Abstract

Aim. This article’s goal is to present the discourse concerning paid maternity leaves in the USA in major American media outlets between the years 2014 and 2018. It is an attempt to answer the question whether maternity, caregiving work or family values are contradictory to American work ethic and regulations of the labour market.

Methodology. The work is devoted to content analysis of the four most popular American online media, both liberal and conservative. Their content search engines are used to find information and articles on paid maternity leaves and to group them into different categories.

Results. Three main categories are distinguished in terms of the content of 302 articles, namely articles with a positive attitude towards paid maternity leaves (248 articles – 82.10%), articles with a negative attitude (20 articles – 6.60%), and neutral articles (34 – 11.30%). In general, Americans see the long-term benefits of paid maternity leaves, but they differ when it comes to the methods of their introduction.

Conclusions. There is a conflict between maternity, family values, American work culture, and regulations of the labour market. In American society, individualism, competition, and masculinity of the business culture do not support the values of nurturing and caregiving.

Originality. Except for the USA, there is no other country among OECD states which does not provide paid parental leaves for working mothers. Because of the fact that the United States is known to be one of the most developed countries in the world, this information may be considered worth-studying.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Aleksandra Rabenda, Institute of History, Vistula University ul. Stokłosy 3, 02-787 Warszawa, Poland

Graduated from American Studies Center, University of Warsaw. She currently pursues a Ph.D. degree in the field of History at Vistula University in Warsaw. Her main interests include history of family, women's rights movement, and American social policy.

References

Berger, L. M., Hill, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Maternity leave, early maternal employment and child health and development in the US. The Economic Journal, 501(115), 29-47.

Babcock, L., & Laschever, S. (2003). Women don’t ask: Negotiation and the gender divide. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

BLS.gov. (2020). Employer Cost for Employee Compensation. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.toc.htm.

Coontz, S. (2011). A strange stirring: The feminine mystique and American women at the dawn of the 1960s. New York: Basic Books.

Crittendon, A. (2001). The price of motherhood: Why the most important job in the world is still the least valued. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Dallek, R. (1999). Ronald Reagan: The politics of symbolism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Daly, M., & Sainsbury, D. (1996). Gender and welfare state regimes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

EBizMBA.com. (n.d.). Top 15 most popular news websites. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/news-websites.

Gutman, A. (1988). Democracy and the welfare state. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Hirshman, L. (2006). Get to work: A manifesto for women of the world. New York: Viking Books.

Jacobs, J. A., & Gerson, K. (2004). The time-divide: Work, family, and gender inequality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Klerman, J. A., & Leibowitz, A. (1999). Job continuity among new mothers. Demography, 36(2), 145-155.

Krippendorf, K. (2004). Content analysis – An introduction to its methodology. London: SAGE Publications.

Marcoux, H., & Orsini, J. (2021). What Joe Biden’s win means for moms. Mother.ly. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.mother.ly/news/what-joe-biden-win-would-mean-for-moms/joe-bidens-plan-for-childcare.

McBride, D. E., & Parry, A. (2004). Women’s rights in the USA: Policy debates and gender roles. New York: Thomson Brooks.

Mediashift.com. (2018). Who gets the most traffic among conservative websites? Retrieved January 18, 2018, from http://mediashift.org/2018/01/nine-insights-right-wing-website-traffic/.

Miller, C. C. (2015). When family-friendly policies backfire. The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/upshot/when-family-friendly-policies-backfire.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Moen, P., & Roehling, P. (2005). The career mystique: Cracks in the American dream. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

NCSL.org. (n.d.). State Family and Medical Leave Acts. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-family-and-medical-leave-laws.aspx.

OECD.com. (2019). Society at glance 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/sag2019-united-states.pdf.

OPM.gov. (n.d.). Fact Sheet: Family and Medical Leave. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/family-and-medical-leave/.

Orloff, A. S., Skocpol, T., & Weir, M. (1988). The politics of social policy in the United States. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Parents.com. (n.d.). Maternity leave by state: Learn your rights. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-life/maternity-paternity-leave/how-does-your-state-measure-up-on-maternity-leave/.

People-Press.org. (2008). Internet overtakes newspapers as news outlet. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from www.people-press.org/2008/12/23/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-outlet/.

PewSocialTrends.org. (2017). Americans widely support paid family and

medical leave, but differ over specific policies. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/03/23/americans-widely-support-paid-family-and-medical-leave-but-differ-over-specific-policies/.

Reuters.com. (2009). Internet most popular information source: Poll. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-media-internet-life-idUSTRE55G4XA20090617.

SHRM.org. (2019). Trump approves paid parental leave for federal workers. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/trump-approves-paid-parental-leave-for-federal-workers.aspx.

Slaughter, A. M. (2015). Unfinished business. New York: Random House.

Statista.com. (2020). Average full-wage equivalent weeks of paid leave available to mothers in OECD countries in 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/916711/oecd-countries-average-full-wage-equivalent-weeks-paid-maternity-leave/.

Stefanik.house.gov. (2019). Stefanik, Allred, Cassidy, Sinema, introduce bipartisan bill supporting parents in critical first year following births, adoptions. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://stefanik.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/stefanik-allred-cassidy-sinema-introduce-bipartisan-bill-supporting.

Stoltzfoos, R. (2015). IWF to Obama: Women don’t need a savior. The Daily Caller. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://dailycaller.com/2015/01/21/iwf-to-obama-women-dont-need-a-savior/.

TheGuardian.com. (2020). In America, having a baby

is becoming a luxury only a few can afford. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/23/america-children-parents-week-in-patriarchy.

Time.com. (2019). Paid family leave has stalled in Congress for years. Here's why that's changing. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from http://time.com/5562960/paid-family-leave-congress/.

WTop.com. (2020). Pandemic shows contrasts between US, European safety nets. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://wtop.com/coronavirus/2020/05/pandemic-shows-contrasts-between-us-european-safety-nets/.

Downloads

Published

2021-06-17

How to Cite

Rabenda, A. . (2021). The value of motherhood: paid maternity leave discourse in major U.S. media outlets in the years 2014-2018. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 12(1), 68–85. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2021.1.68.85