Conversations about paid maternity leave are getting more attention from the U.S. government, which is unsurprising given that women’s participation in the labor force amounted to 56.8% of the total working population, with 77.6% coming from the 25-34 age group, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Although several sectors agree that the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FAMLA) can be further improved to support working parents, some private companies have taken the initiative to ease the burden of their employees with young children.
In the United States, Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corporation is building a company culture that uplifts and champions women in the workplace.
To mark more than a century of employing women in the company, Mitsubishi continues to institute policies that allow working mothers to remain employed and advance their careers within the organization. Those policies include flexible work hours, daycare facilities, paid maternity leave, and paid paternity leave.
Those changes are in line with Mitsubishi’s strategy to increase high-level appointments of female employees and raise the number of female managers by 15% by the year 2026.
While traditional parental roles remain deeply rooted, paid maternity leave is still a hotly debated topic with different stakeholders presenting varying valid arguments.
