Every year on Mother’s Day I send my mom flowers—just like millions of other people across the country. It is one small token of gratitude and love for the often unseen and always unpaid work that she has done my entire life to provide for our family. Every mom carries an invisible weight, the burden of having a family in a country that does not support her. From the physical labor of bringing new children into their families (whether by birth or adoption) to being the default caregiver for loved ones, women are on the front lines of the unpaid work that families demand.  

Maternity leave is not the only form of paid leave needed to build an economy that works for women and families. Paid family and medical leave include parental leave (maternity and paternity leave) as well as leave to care for oneself due to a serious health condition or care for a loved one.  

In 2020, more than 65 million women in the U.S. provided unpaid care in the form of child, family and elder care. A majority of these women did this work while simultaneously holding full- or part-time jobs. Women’s caregiving responsibilities are considered one of the reasons the gender pay gap persists. In an insidious twist, while motherhood reduces women’s earnings, fatherhood can increase men’s earnings. This disparity isn't isolated to care related to children but extends to care for aging loved ones and sick relatives which women are often also expected to provide for. Providing unpaid care or being forced to take unpaid leave—on top of children causing financial strain and lost wages from their parent leaving the workforce—means that women lose out on needed income. 

Over decades of increased workforce participation from women, most countries have implemented commonsense policies that support women and children: affordable childcare, universal preschool, and paid family and medical leave. Globally, nine in ten potential mothers live in a country with some variation of paid maternity leave. The US is a devastating outlier. One in four women in this country go back to work less than two weeks after giving birth because they are forced to make impossible decisions between the health of themselves and their newborn and making ends meet. 

Every mom carries an invisible weight, the burden of having a family in a country that does not support her.

Over the past few years, paid leave has remained a central policy in the U.S. national conversation with proposals ranging from four to 12 weeks of leave—but these proposals are far behind the global standard. In 2021, 120 countries provided at least 14 weeks of maternity leave, 52 countries met or exceeded the 18-week standard and 123 countries provide fully-paid maternity leave. Our families need more than political debates about four weeks of leave. We need decisive political leadership that matches the dignity provided to many workers across the globe.  

While today, and for much of history, caregiving has fallen on the shoulders of women—this is an issue that impacts all of us. Every family lucky enough to watch loved ones grow old or welcome a new child (whether through foster care, adoption or birth) needs paid leave. No one should be forced to place themselves and their families in financial insecurity or risk their health, especially when facing some of the most challenging moments of our lives. We have solutions, and we know what works.  

Countries around the world have implemented paid leave as a commonsense way to support families in their times of need. We do not have to be the exception. Our families should not be left out. Our elected officials are privileged enough to have paid leave, and every family in every community needs the same. This Mother’s Day, let’s all honor the unseen and unpaid work of mothers by committing to paid family and medical leave.