Sweden does it again
Yesterday, a friend sent me a really interesting article on the proposed extension of paid paternal leave in Sweden . Anyone familiar with US law will note a few interesting tidbits in that sentence: Paternal leave - yep, something nonexistent in the US Paid - the mother of all qualifiers. Extension - which means that not only did they already have it, they're making it better. Excuse me while the waves of jealousy rage over me... Ok. Now I'm better. Where do I start? I was shocked, aghast, and amazed (and not in a good way) when, upon getting pregnant, I learned the US doesn't mandate paid maternity leave. I'd read my employer's personnel manual, and honestly when I read the words "up to 12 weeks of family leave" never did it cross my mind that this "family leave" was unpaid. Sure, some private employers offer paid leave (less than 3 percent), and two states have stepped in to do the same (California and New Jersey), but the federal gov...