Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave • Hacker News Board

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#51

Post by gertef » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 10:44 PM UTC

danielki wrote: post #7

john_b wrote: post #4

Is anyone aware of how the courts have interpreted things like this (if at all)? > "Under the new policy, mothers can take 16 weeks of paid leave with benefits, and fathers can take up to eight weeks" Would that not be considered discriminatory?

I wouldn't think so, as there's more than likely enough medical/biological basis for women to require more time. For example, 99.9999% of men are unable to breastfeed a baby, even if they do stay home.

Breastfeeding doesn't interfere with work. Mothers can pump and store. Or they can choose to not work for a while, just as anyone else can.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#52

Post by gertef » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 10:44 PM UTC

throwaway1979 wrote: post #12

Kudos to Yahoo!! It is shocking how little maternity leave is provided by the average company. I have a friend who got 8 weeks, took 8 more without pay ... she was so pissed off that she used part of the leave time to find another job. The company lost a top notch worker for being so stingy with maternity leave!

What was the new employer's policy?

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#53

Post by jacalata » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 10:58 PM UTC

astrodust wrote: post #10

bluthru wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that different paternity/maternity times makes employers view women as more hazardous. This also reinforces the sexist notion that fathers aren't as integral to early childhood development. I'm sure a new mother would love the extra help for another 8 weeks! Also, lets say that you're a child adopted by a homosexual married couple and you only get 8 weeks. How is that fair to the adopted child versus 1…

If there was a separate allowance for recovering from childbirth, that would make sense. For example, 16 weeks for a woman who adopts vs. 8 for a man who does exactly the same thing is just discriminatory.

It would be. That probably explains why yahoo has a policy that both parents get 8 weeks after adoption. Its in the article.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#54

Post by jacalata » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 11:00 PM UTC

bluthru wrote: post #33

macspoofing wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Equality means treating people equally--including men and children All things aren't equal in this case. Child birth can be incredibly taxing on a woman's body. Some women would need more time to recover.

Wouldn't that woman want her husband around to help her recover then?

Not always. Similarly, you could conceivably need to take a sick day without needing your partner to stay home to take care of you.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#55

Post by bluthru » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 11:24 PM UTC

jacalata wrote: post #54

bluthru wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't that woman want her husband around to help her recover then?

Not always. Similarly, you could conceivably need to take a sick day without needing your partner to stay home to take care of you.

The difference being that there's also a newborn in this case.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#56

Post by HorizonXP » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 11:39 PM UTC

throwaway1979 wrote: post #30

HorizonXP wrote: post #22

To be honest, this is exactly why I do not plan on starting a family in the Bay Area, and instead, will return back to Toronto. http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/pregnancy.... http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parent... Basically, in Ontario, mothers are eligible for 17 weeks of pregnancy leave. After giving birth, both parents are eligible for up to 37 weeks of parental leave. Thi…

Heh ... be careful my friend! Moving to Canada when you are ready to start a family is non-trivial if your spouse isn't Canadian :(

We are both Canadian. I'm in Toronto right now, moving to SF later this month for a while.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#57

Post by HorizonXP » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 11:39 PM UTC

gertef wrote: post #39

HorizonXP wrote: post #22

To be honest, this is exactly why I do not plan on starting a family in the Bay Area, and instead, will return back to Toronto. http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/pregnancy.... http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parent... Basically, in Ontario, mothers are eligible for 17 weeks of pregnancy leave. After giving birth, both parents are eligible for up to 37 weeks of parental leave. Thi…

That seems... exploitative if you don't pay taxes in Canada.

Born and raised in Canada. Plan to move to SF for a few years, then come back.

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#58

Post by craigyk » Thu, May 02, 2013, 7:15 AM UTC

mindjiver wrote: post #47

criley wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can crap on the Bay Area all day long, but then the question becomes: why isn't Silicon Valley in Sweden?

Man, I can list so many reasons, starting with a very risk averse society, then continuing with very bad economic policies during the period after WWII up until our big finical crisis in the 1990. Please note that I have some libertarian tendencies so my views are perhaps coloured by that. But that was not my point. My point was how low the barrier for "great benefits" where even for "spoiled" software engineers in S…

I agree, US companies should have better policies, but that would rely on the government enforcing an even playing field (not very libertarian). Otherwise there is no way any single company can stray too far from the pack without seriously damaging their competitiveness.

Maybe something like the government covering 70% of the your away pay (capped, obviously), and giving the company 15% to go toward to whatever they chose (covering you more, hiring a temp, the bottom line, etc.) The size of the company could also be a factor on how large that payment is (the smaller the company, the larger the percentage).

Re: Yahoo Expands Maternity, Paternity Leave

#59

Post by craigyk » Thu, May 02, 2013, 7:19 AM UTC

gertef wrote: post #40

HorizonXP wrote: post #22

To be honest, this is exactly why I do not plan on starting a family in the Bay Area, and instead, will return back to Toronto. http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/pregnancy.... http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parent... Basically, in Ontario, mothers are eligible for 17 weeks of pregnancy leave. After giving birth, both parents are eligible for up to 37 weeks of parental leave. Thi…

> A couple of my friends just had a baby, and I can see how much they cherish every moment they spend with him. No way. "Just" had baby, parents are barely surviving, often depressed. Cherish comes months later.

They are too tired and overwhelmed to even really be that depressed.

I think my wife only vaguely remembers the first three months.