It is my goal...

Ok, on this election day 2010 I have a new goal- one that has nothing to do with democrats or republicans, taxes or wars, campaign promises or scandal- but one that has to do with working women of childbearing age getting the benefits that they truly deserve!  Afterall, women in the workplace is not a new concept, it's been 50+ years since the 'Leave It To Beaver' stay at home mom ideal was the norm.  Now, for those that know me, I've never been what you call a feminist.  Sure, I'm educated, I work in a male dominated field and (gasp!) I make more money than my equally educated husband- but I've done all of these things because I wanted to, not b/c I was pushing some gender boundary or drawing attention to some equality cause.  So where does this newfound sense of pseudofeminism come from?!?  It stems from the absolutely RIDICULOUS conversations that i've been forced to have with my job, my benefits coordinators, and HR representatives since being place on bedrest 1 week ago.  Let me explain....

First and foremost, pregnancy is NOT a disability!!  Yet i work for the biggest employer in my county, a healthcare system, and the only maternity leave available is unpaid FMLA or short term disability (and either way, there is no clear cut policy outlining either option)!  Now my future daughter has to be a repeat Csection due to issues that stemmed from my first pregnancy, but women who work for my employer- educated, reasonable women- not knowing I have to have a Csection have told me to beg my doctor for a Csection b/c this would allow me paid time off due to a disability claim.  This is absurd!  Csections carry their own set of risks for both mother and baby and should not be decided on due to financial incentives in regards to maternity leave!  That is CRAZY!  Every woman should be entitled to at least 6 weeks home with their child (which in most countries is laughably short!)- this would ensure that you, the mother, have had a chance to heal and that the baby has had some sort of bonding period before they are now cared for by a stranger!  Not to mention that most daycares won't even entertain the idea of taking a baby before they are 6 or 8 weeks old!

How is it that men in positions of power all have children?  (usually multiple children!)  It's b/c they have women at home who will take care of those children for them.  Why is it so hard to understand that a woman with 2 children under the age of 2 will not be able to use all of my FMLA days to cover the birth of my child b/c there is a strong likelihood that one or both of my children will at some point during the rest of the year get sick and need someone to stay home with them?!?  These men have had sick children, they have just never had to care for them b/c again, they have someone at home to do it for them!  I'm not implying that this situation is unique to Alex and me- this applies to all households that have 2 working parents.  And that's just it- these are hard working people, people trying to do the right thing and not rely on handouts to provide for their families, and they are meeting obstacles every step of the way!  Bottom line- you should not be punished for having a child!

I'll sum up some of the conversations I have had with my benefits people over the last few days to illustrate this point.  (granted, my situation is a little different as most pregnancies do not require you to be out of work starting at 24 weeks, but the overall tone and approach to the situation is the same.)  I sent an email to my entire division explaining the situation and apologizing for the impact my absence would have on them.  In this email i explained that i would be out indefinitely.  The very next day i received an email from my manager asking what i wanted her to do about my schedule!  Really?!?  I'm pretty sure that 'out indefinitely' would imply that you have to cancel it!!  After that exchange, I called HR to figure out what steps needed to be taken so that my leave would be appropriately filed.  She told me my FMLA would start as soon as my vacation days were exhausted.  I told her that if, god willing, my daughter made it to full term it was likely that i was going to be out for ~5 months.  She told me that would exceed my FMLA days for the year as you only get 12 weeks.  NO SHIT!  So what does that mean for me, i asked.  Well apparently it means that your job is no longer protected, they can hire someone else to replace you, and if and when you are able to come back you better hope that there's a place for you.  If not, sorry...sucks to be you!  Which is absolutely absurd!  I'm not enjoying myself on a tropical island somewhere, i'm not electing to stay home- i have a doctors order that forbids me from working!!!

Now luckily I pay for short term disability which after a 3 week waiting period will cover up to 10 weeks (maybe 13 depending on which rep you talk to) of your absence.  During this time you get 60% of your salary up to a max weekly allowance.  Certainly not ideal but better than nothing!  What happens after that amount of time, NOTHING....you get nothing!  It then reverts to your unpaid leave b/c long term disability for us 'rich' physicians doesn't kick in for a minimum of 6 months.  This again means you better not miss another day the rest of the year for family or personal illness (let alone a vacation, not that you would need one!) b/c they have the opportunity to give away your job!

It's sad and inappropriate that by doing what's best for my daughter (and following my doctor's orders) I run the risk of losing my job (which luckily I've been assured is not going to happen, but only b/c I'm a physician!) and more immediately put my family in a financial hole that most would not be able to recover from!  I'm fortunate that we have family who have assured us they won't let things fall apart should things get too tight financially, but many don't have this luxury, and it's not their responsibility to do this!  No woman, regardless of their profession, should face the possibility of losing their career (not to mention their home, savings, retirement fund, etc) against their will b/c she dared to dream of becoming a mother!

I likely will not fix this problem, but I have some upcoming free time to try!  I may not be able to assure maternity rights/benefits for all women but I'd at least like the health system I work for to have a written policy that addresses at least 'normal' pregnancy, birth, and subsequent maternity leave.  I'll keep you updated...