Lauren has been pregnant since 2012 . . . with the same baby, because she can’t afford to take time off work from her job that doesn’t have paid leave . . . so she’s just decided to stay pregnant until she racks up enough vacation days to have a baby.
OK, so Lauren’s case is impossible, but the message behind her it-would-be-funny-if-it-weren’t-true situation is applicable to many moms (and dads) all over the US who don’t receive paid leave. This video from the National Partnership For Women and Families seeks to bring light to this issue with a touch of humor and a whole load of truth bombs.
“It’s absurd that most US workers — 86 percent — don’t have paid family leave through their employers,” the caption on the video reads. “And only some are lucky enough to live in the four states that have paid family and medical leave laws. But we can change this.” The organization offered a course of action on its website: “Ask your members of Congress to watch the video and then stand up for a robust national paid family and medical leave program.”
Do it for yourself. Do it for Lauren.