Childrearing and childbearing policies

Thesis: The effectiveness, impacts, and complications associated with childbearing and rearing policies in the USA compared to the most industrialized nations like Canada and Germany, and its connection to the society.

Topic Sentence 1: The first comparison of childbearing policy is that it is a crucial part of development in the US and other industrialized countries.

Topic Sentence 2: The second comparison is that child-rearing policies are different in various industrialized countries, based on social ethics and beliefs on the children upbringing.

Topic Sentence 3: The third comparison is that the US is one of the few industrialized nations without pay on childbearing policy leave.

Topic Sentence 4: The fourth comparison of the childbearing policy in the US is that it increases the gap of the working force between women and men, which widens more as a woman starts a family of her own, unlike other industrialized countries with different effective childbearing policies.

Topic Sentence 5: The fifth comparison of the child-bearing policy in the US and other industrialized countries is that it grants women with kids the ability to prosper and should also be part of the social norms in all regions.

Topic Sentence 6: The sixth comparison of different forms of child-rearing policies in industrialized nations is that it introduces kids into separate directions which in turn widens the socioeconomic gaps.

Topic Sentence 7: The seventh comparison of child-rearing policies in the US and other industrialized countries is that it affects the child’s well-being which impacts the society and the economy of a nation as a whole.

Topic Sentence 8: The eighth comparison of the child-rearing policies of the US and other developed nations is that the countries have various ways of parenting.

Topic Sentence 9: The ninth comparison indicates that there are vast differences in the child-rearing practices in the compared industrialized countries.

Topic Sentence 10: The tenth comparison in child-rearing policies is that most American parents are too busy working and therefore spending less time with their kids unlike in a country like Dutch.

Topic Sentence 11: The eleventh comparison of the US and a country like Sweden is that child-rearing policies are more favorable in Sweden, hence one of the family-friendly nations despite the high-income taxes.

Childbearing and Childrearing Policies

The childbearing policy is a national law program in the United States which entitles a family a time off from work for a given period to care for the newborn. It is a practice that takes place not only in the US but also in many developed countries. It accommodates an exhausted new mother to recover from the childbearing process in effect, and give enough time before fully returning to work. In current society, the exercising the childbirth leave helps to raise a healthy and a progressive family which is the reason why there is the concentration of infants. Childrearing, on the other hand, is a policy that governs the appropriate parenting practices in raising their children. This article focuses on the effectiveness, impacts, and complications associated with childbearing and rearing policies concerning the same procedures in most industrialized countries like Canada and Germany, and its connection to the society. Childbirth is the first and the most critical stage of a person’s life, and therefore, the government should embrace and support the childbearing leave and rearing for the well-being and success in the existence of the new creation on earth.

In the industrialized countries, paternity and maternity leave is a crucial part of development. In Canada and Germany, the policy offers employees on leave a fair percentage of their earnings. It is opposite of the US where the law does not apply wage compensation apart from three states, New Jersey and California for six weeks and Rhode Island - four weeks. In the European nations, for example, there is supplication of about 20 weeks maternity leave, with a provision of between 70 to 100 % wage compensation. This greatly assists in raising the standards of women in the labor force and helping the spouses address the work-family responsibilities. Moreover, parents have enough time to bond with their little ones and provide care satisfying the needs of the newborns, for example, in breastfeeding. In the US, an unpaid short leave of about three months with job protection is granted to give care to the newly born or adopted kid. However, there are work leaves in case of a sick child, given to a person to look after them before returning to work.

Parenting practices are different in various regions, based on social ethics and beliefs on children upbringing. In China, for example, love, concern, and involvement of a kid comes together with discipline, obedience and high expectations in parenting. In America, there is an encouragement of collective behavior where children from wealthy families concentrate on the worries for their kids’ anxiety while those from deprived backgrounds are more concerned with the safety of their children. The growth of a child is affected by the upbringing environment, whether a secure or insecure surroundings. Through paternity and maternity leaves the kids feel their parents’ support which is of great importance, as the early child development experiences have tremendous and long-term consequences on the emotional, cognitive and social development of a child (Rossin-Slater, 2017). Paid leave is an integral participant in the well-being and growth of a kid.

The US is one of the few nations without pay on maternity and medical leaves alongside with Papua New Guinea and Oman. According to the statistics, just 12% are beneficiaries of accessing paid job leaves based on their employers (Baum & Ruhm, 2016). This leads to suffering of working-class women which may result in labor force drop out, hence loss of income for the care of their families. Studies reveal that about 43% of females with kids leave their professions willingly at some point due to the competitive work-family responsibilities (Baum & Ruhm, 2016). Short leaves give inadequate time for the parent-infant bondage, increases the chances of the mother’s depression after childbirth and makes breastfeeding difficult which is risky as it is essential for the infant’s health.

The maternity leave policy increases the gap between the American working force of women with that of men, which widens even more as a woman starts a family of her own (Clark & Gallagher, 2016). This has contributed to delayed marriage by ladies because they find it essential to first concentrate on their careers before the emergence of the barriers that come as a result. The American policy on leaves has significantly contributed to the economic gap which mostly affects the low-income population, therefore, making them weaker where most beneficiaries are from the high-income class. In America, childcare is a luxury affordable to some individuals based on one’s ability to adjust to parenthood. Instead, it should be an inclusive policy that shows concern for the fostered children. It ought to cater for the needs of every US citizen irrespective of race or background, for the growth and development of the country’s economy. Paid leave gives rise to the growth of businesses, where 2011 research by California’s Centre for Economic and Policy Research reported that it led to about 91% of enterprises’ positive impact (Baum & Ruhm, 2016). The reason being, employees with paid leaves benefits before and after birth have a higher likelihood to go back to their careers after the termination of the leave period. Denmark gives a childbearing leave of one year and Italy five months, where the extended session is for the overall advantage of the Americans. There are many benefits, new baby packages, and paid childcare leave systems in a country like Finland. It increases employee retention, profoundly boosts job satisfaction, and promotes the rights of employees in the workplace.

Childbirth leaves should grant women with kids the ability to prosper and should also be part of the social norms. Bearing an infant is an expensive exercise for expectant American mothers and those with children. The government ought to execute better policies in their support, given that the US is a highly competitive economy compared to other developed countries like Cuba which has better systems. This can be done through the company’s granting the leave pay or the state financial aid from the public funds. The government should, moreover, put the low-income inhabitants into consideration as the beneficiaries of the child leave benefits and job security. It compares poorly with other regions in the world, being an advanced economy that doesn’t cater to the needs of the newborn and the productive and maternal health of the mothers. Workplace protection provisions on paid work leave is a dream to Americans for even long-term and short-term ailments. California offers a State Insurance Program, which gives workers an extended period of up to six weeks annually, to get time to attend to their family issues, as maternity leave and other medical leave purposes. The American system gives one an opportunity to choose between looking after their family matters for their loved ones when the need arise and maintenance of the jobs they need.

Different forms of raising and training a child introduce them into separate directions which in turn widens the socioeconomic gaps. This is due to various educational institutional systems the children attend, dictated by their folks’ careers that link to their earnings. Children adapt to learning the skills they are subjected to, which determines kids’ ability to cope and succeed in their immediate and not any other environment. Poverty and social inequalities affect educational and career achievements. Low-income parents have fewer resources and time, therefore no or less investment for their young one’s future (Gornick & Meyers, 2003). American parents want the best things for their children. They strive for them to have a proper lifestyle, caring, health. There is more concentration of their efforts towards the generation of income for investments meant for raising their kids.

Different developed nations have various ways of parenting. Early childhood development stage is a critical period for the growth of toddlers. According to a report by UNICEF in 2013, Denmark was recognized as the country with the happiest kids in the world. In comparison, with the world’s 29 most developed and wealthiest nations, the US took the 26th position and the UK came 16th in the research study (Clark & Gallagher, 2016). The research intended to assess children’s well-being, safety and health, education, risks and behaviors, housing and surroundings. Dutch babies are more relaxed and calm, unlike American babies who exhibit fear, forlornness, and anger as a result of childrearing styles.

The vast differences between the Dutch kids and those from the US and other industrialized nations are due to the existing practices in children raising. This includes enough sleep, less or no homework at primary level and the amount of parents’ attention given to kids. Moreover, they are left to go about their games unsupervised, regular meals and more time with their parents. Dutch kids enjoy more freedom which is not a guarantee for other kids from most countries. They value their traditions and culture, where a kid is placed at the central point and have healthy relationships with their parents. American parenthood practices concentrate more on the modern day childrearing, which carries their meaning of a fit and proper kids’ upbringing (Clark & Gallagher, 2016). Dutch, however, tries to curb such expectations and distress in keeping up with the demands of the present age in raising their babies.

Most American parents are too busy working and therefore spending less time on parenthood. The Dutch work twenty-nine hours in seven days, thus creating a work-life balance which gives them ample time to spend and bond with their children (Gauthier, Smeeding, & Furstenberg, 2004). Dutch parents learn to encourage kids to be self-independent for developing an early age confidence and survival. Mothers in the US worry more about the success and development of their kids and perform all the duties for them even at late teens’ age. According to the Dutch, children are expected to have the right conduct, respect their elders and meet the societal moral and ethical behaviors. They have the right to play, and it is an essential stage in child development, which countries like Britain, France and America term as noisy and disorderly.

Sweden is one of the family-friendly nations where despite the high-income taxes, raising a family is favorable. It has a great policy of extended childbearing leave for either a mother or a father, free education forum and convenient public environment for children (Wells & Sarkadi, 2011). There is gender equality which results in fair women treatment and hence an ideal nation for raising up children with a long-term mental health. Sweden’s parental support is perfect and one to be envied, compared to the US that is without a proper law on paid and extended childbearing leave. In America, grandparents play a prominent role in rearing their grandchildren and enhancing culture-based knowledge, whereas it is a cultural norm in Italy and Asia for them to inhabit in the same homestead as an extended family. It is, however, an excellent trend in that it unites people related by blood, and help educate the young ones according to the customs, beliefs, and values of the society.

In conclusion, there is no perfect method of childbearing and raring. It, therefore, calls for interaction and good relations that will benefit nations to enhance learning from each other. There are similar factors and challenges that all parents encounter in parenting globally. The recent times upbringing has a general over-reliance on technology, which parents should limit the time their children spend on the technology gadgets. The government of the state should also play a role in the incorporation of fair rules and regulations governing the childbirth leave and upbringing to ensure the well-being and safety of the young generation who are the future of a great nation.

References

Baum, C.L., & Ruhm, C.J. (2016). The effects of paid family leave in California on labor market outcomes. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(2), 333-356. doi:10.1002/pam.21894

Clark, C., & Gallagher, S.K. (2016). The influence of state maternity leave policies on US mothers’ employment. Community, Work & Family, 20(4), 459-478. doi:10.1080/13668803.2016.1227769

Gauthier, A.H., Smeeding, T.M., & Furstenberg, F.F. (2004). Are parents investing less time in children? Trends in selected industrialized countries. Population and Development Review, 30(4), 647-672.

Gornick, J.C., & Meyers, M.K. (2003). Families that work: Policies for reconciling parenthood and employment. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Rossin-Slater, M. (2017). Maternity and family leave policy. Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190628963.013.23

Wells, M.B., & Sarkadi, A. (2011). Do father-friendly policies promote father-friendly child-rearing practices? A review of Swedish parental leave and child health centers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(1), 25-31. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9487-7