Mandatory Paid Parental Leave

In a column in the USA Today magazine, Duncan Black, writes about why parents should get paid time off to spend with their children every year. A trip to Sweden opened his eyes to how limited America is when it comes to spending time with their children because they cant risk losing their jobs or paying the bills. Black stresses the idea of making a national paid parental leave program.

He claims in his column that, "Such a program would not be free, of course, but it would be affordable. Sweden's leave program is estimated to cost just 0.8% of its GDP, a small price to pay for a widespread benefit for families (Parag. 5)."

Blacks claim sounds logical because if parents have more time to spend with their kids they can take care of their needs and make sure they grow up the way they want them to. Children need help sometimes and it can greatly affect them if both or even one of the parents aren't around. Some kids have problems when either their mother or father are always gone working.

The authors intended audience is parents with young kids, because if they see this and read about it, they can help in creating the national paid parental leave program. Adults usually read the newspaper when they get home from work, and after seeing this column in it they might be encouraged to try and spend more time with their children.

Duncan Black is very credible because he writes columns for USA today, a blog called Eschaton under the pseudonym of Atrios; he is a fellow at Media Matters for America, and he holds a doctorate in economics.

I personally agree with Duncan Black because one dayIi hope to have kids of my own, and I would be so thankful to have paid time off to raise my children and make sure they have a good head on their shoulders. If you'd like to make your own opinion about getting a national paid parental leave program established in America read this article, 2012 U.S. Needs Paid Family Leave.