Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Patrick Donnay
Abstract
Maternity leave policy in the United States is a rising social issue for mothers. Contrary to all other developed nations, the United States does not mandate any form of paid maternity leave for new mothers, ensuring financial hardships for women and their families. Current studies have supported the lack of coverage that new mothers receive from their employers throughout the United States. To analyze this disparity, I use data from recipients of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) in 2022. Using different statistical tests, I evaluated the commonalities of diverse recipients receiving paid maternity leave by different variables: income, race and education level. Preliminary analysis suggests positive correlations between the availability of paid maternity leave offered and the race and education level of the recipient, where Hispanics and women with a lower education level are less likely to have adequate access to paid maternity leave compared to their counterparts. This study affirms the disparities that many women face when taking maternity leave, as supported in previous studies, but differs as it focuses on the accessibility of paid maternity leave for specific racial identities and education levels across the United States.
Recommended Citation
Frantzen, Edie A., "Analyzing Racial and Structural Disparities in U.S. Maternity Leave Policies" (2024). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 1.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/1
