Motherhood? Ain't Nobody Got Time for That.

At the risk of sounding like a raging feminist (in the negative connotation of the word), I have to take a stand on the maternity leave policies in a University setting, and most specifically LSU. There are several issues I have with the policy- for one, it doesn’t include Paternity Leave as an option for new parents, so we’re already gender discriminating. Two, the section titled “Maternity Leave” in the LSU employee handbook directs readers to Family Medical Leave and Sick Leave, therefore grouping childbirth in with illness or emergencies, therefore all other illnesses and family traumas have to be forgotten, ignored, or a risk of termination if they are used for maternity leave. And three, the amount of time allowed for family medical and/or sick leave (paid) is contingent on the years of service at the institution and what is saved up from appointment date to the day the leave begins, which is roughly one paid day per month, so approximately 4.5 days each semester. But don’t worry, with prior approval from the University, leave without pay is an option if sick leave is exhausted before the time that maternity leave might come into play.

This is an issue because across the board in academic institutions, and really in many professions, with the pay gap for women on the national level, we’re already only earning 77 cents to every male dollar, and one of the reasons the Society for Human Resource Management credits for the gap is what they call “motherhood penalty”, where women in the job market who are unmarried and without children rise to the top of the hiring pool because they are arguably a lower risk for family emergency without dependents, therefore creating a bias against and stereotyping working mothers. As Dr. Walsh mentioned to me in a meeting about job hunting in an academic institution, (I’m summarizing) “the best thing to do in an interview is to smile and assure the search committee that a family and children aren’t something that you’re interested in pursuing” because while it may not be the best circumstances to take a so called maternity leave later on, your job will be protected. The inequality has yet to be addressed because as Dr. Walsh also pointed out to me, women are relatively new on the scene in professorship positions, so the attitude is generally “you should just be happy to be here”.

The act of protest here requires a few things to be successful, and I think the most important one is male support. This isn’t a gender specific issue, it’s a family issue. If I were to take action as a planning party, I think a parade beginning at the State Capitol building and ending outside the LSU Student Union at 3:00 pm on November 4^th for a peaceful picketing protest at the next LSU Senate meeting is the best first step to change. Considering the LSU Board of Supervisors has been under a “no confidence” vote for almost two years, this is a good time to bring up issues that need to be addressed within the system. Direct Action is the best course in this situation, because passive resistance doesn’t make enough waves. Standing idly by won’t draw attention to a policy that is on the back burner.

In our current state, women and gender discrepancies are a hot button for media coverage, and while they can be spun negatively, I think a media presence is something that would shed light in a good way on the issue that needs to be addressed, and might put necessary pressure on the board to consider changes in a policy that hasn’t been revised since 2004. Louisiana passed the equal pay law in 2013 by a 23-13 vote, which was a step in the right direction, so perhaps LSU will join the wave of change and acknowledge that the rights of new mothers should be a separate policy from one that implies crisis or sickness.

This specific protest would close after the LSU Senate wrapped their meeting on election day, but I don’t think there is a concrete ending until the University acknowledges that the policy needs to be addressed now.