Paid Family Leave: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Many American companies do not offer paid leave after the birth of a child, which means they probably shouldn’t run sappy Mother’s Day ads.

[@awesomecat42]

"Can I get birth control?" "No." "Can I get an abortion?" "No." "Can I take a bit of time off to care for my kid?" "You're fired."

[@PaperPlateClorox]

awesomecat42 it’s horrible

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Funny how for 99% of human history we never needed any of those things.

[@awesomecat42]

@@Dennis-nc3vw You could say the same about cars or phones or literally any modern or even semi-modern medicine. Also FYI before we had stuff like birth control and abortion, we had infanticide and abandonment.

[@smellslikeswede]

@@Dennis-nc3vw Funny how for 99% of human history we were nomadic tribes.

[@silverbryophyta3763]

@@Dennis-nc3vw lol even the Greeks had birth control, they loved it, one of their city-states even made it their main export

[@gominuke]

I honestly cant believe you have no paid leave in the USA. Wow.

[@thomaswallen296]

Urrcreavesh Communist.... (I"M PLAYING THE ROLE OF AN AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN!)

[@novastarguild2892]

Thomas Wallen You mean the United States congressman right because america is a contentment use the correct grammar because you were put through college right?

[@MrCreativeEgo]

Urrcreavesh Here in Romania we have 2 years of fully paid maternity leave now, but we only had 3 months during Ceausescu's communist regime, so... I feel like the US is actually doing many things that the Communists did, while trying as hard as possible to avoid the things Communists claimed they wanted and that were never a reality.

[@cgnefarious5785]

***** I don't know how familiar you are with actually feeding people, but it is very possible to do so by giving them fish.

[@BeeAre]

***** So hey, are new mothers physically disabled? Because I don't think they can hold their baby and catch a fish at the same time. Is Welfare for new mothers okay?

[@enikata7349]

I think the main issue with America, something I've seen in many of these videos, is that corporations and big businesses always come first. Whatever makes profit is more important than the people who actually work to make that profit. America's entire ideology has crippled its progress because the pursuit of the dollar is sacred above even human dignity.

[@BlinkinFirefly]

Yeah, I think you nailed it. America's values are so fucked up.

[@enikata7349]

@@BlinkinFirefly Sadly they are. We only have to look at what's happening with covid; the economy is being pushed as being more important than human lives.

[@Design____ByS]

and yet shouldn't money serve us as humans, instead of the other way around?

[@enikata7349]

@@Design____ByS That has to be one of the greatest things I've ever heard and so nailed on the head.

[@NewandForgiven]

@@Design____ByS It does - just it only serves the few who are very wealthy. Unbridled capitalism will do that...

[@katiemarshall1737]

love how the party of "family values" is against family leave

[@victoriasullivan2794]

The military gave me 30 days' paid leave when I had my child.

[@victoriasullivan2794]

A visiting nurse came by twice.

[@victoriasullivan2794]

Back at work, I pumped milk on The latrine. And had the tool crib guy keep it in the freezer. I was back on the flight line after pregant duty debriefing pilots.

[@MsScarletwings]

Victoria Sullivan Well good for you

[@Aethelia]

Well yeah, being for "family values" just means being disgusted by gay marriage. Or by abortion since being disgusted by gay marriage got less popular so they needed to go back to a classic.

[@xxExeble]

so they're against abortion, but if you actully keep the baby you dont get money to support yourself?

[@xxExeble]

Puglous oh well have it your way, since you're shitty country likes to live in the 1800's

[@carultch]

+Hallusion It's called responsibility. Ever heard of it?

[@floralee1645]

+Puglous Why won't u want your country to be better? And honestly it's costly to support a child. What if the dad simply doesn't want to be responsible? What if the dad just lost his job?

[@floralee1645]

+carultch Wow, you better be a virgin or always have protected sex.

[@Clomwellschimdt]

+Puglous Yeah! Tell them! "Everybody should only live to 35 and infant mortality rate should be high so that only the strong survive and the weak rot on their dirt floors." -Thomas Jefferson "And everybody should have to build their own damn roads if They really want to get to work like They say They do! And their own damn sewage system! Why is my hard ernt cash going to deal with other peoples' feces? Fuck that shit! I hate every other person in this country. Nobody knows America but me! Everybody is fucking lazy worthless shitbags and deserves to rot in concentration camps or on some dirt floor with their stillborn child hanging out of them." -John Adams ( or some shit, who cares, he was probably lazy and worthless just like the rest of em)

[@OlOleander]

Mothers are like soldiers in that it's popular for everyone to say they love and support them, but hell if we can get legislation or real help for them, and that both have to put up with torn body parts and terrifying and unexpected bleeding in places you wouldn't guess.

[@DizzyDior12]

That... is surprisingly accurate.

[@ksad96]

+Natasel Really dude? I like how you completely ignored the point of the original comment.

[@flippanties]

+Natasel Intelligence isn't your forte, huh?

[@dylanb2990]

+Natasel metaphors, what are they?

[@LaEternal]

+Natasel Literally though, we have mothers who go and fight in Iraq and things like that- so i dont know where you're getting at

[@jbkjbk1999]

Every argument against paid leave can be easily countered with "but almost literally every other country has it and it works"

[@williamnjagi2388]

Us in the usa are careful, to the point of being cruel oh wait there is a name for that...

[@seanmanifold2168]

Yeah. If that worked, we'd have Universal Healthcare by now.

[@DeeJayFM]

Stupidity?

[@xjing800]

@@DeeJayFM corruption

[@radschele1815]

Also, you should make producing more future buyers more attractive.

[@bethl3402]

Honestly this show should be called Reasons You Shouldn't Live In America with John Oliver.

[@nathanm2246]

*Reasons You Shouldn't Live In America If You Are Poor with John Oliver

[@LESTR97]

Tbf America isn’t the only fundamentally broken country that fucks the poor & especially poor minorities. Our government and our big businesses are just much more brazen about it

[@Dman9fp]

Overall america is broken yes. Can't complain much working for local gov, lots of time off. Well then again I'm underpaid, crap healthcare, but compared to working for for-profit companies it's a dream lmao

[@HeavyMetalGamingHD]

@@LESTR97 It's not. but it is the worst western industrial nation for the poor. every country in the eu is way better for that.

[@samamber4634]

Even in Africa we have pay maternity leave In Morocco we can get 3 months in peace to recover with pay

[@JakobJakobsonTheEgg]

I live in eastern europe and mothers can take a *couple of years* off of work when they have a baby and fathers can have three weeks off. And that's paid leave. America is so weird, man.

[@klaxie187]

Dennis M there is no such thing as free money, we pay taxes so we can get this type of things, such as: free healthcare, paid leave, free higher education and all those things that are a myth in the USofA, no one is complaining about that and it doesn't have too much impact on economic growth, you cannot grow if you do not have a new generation to who you can deliver your economy to make it grow further. PS in Europe you don't have to tip because the employee who is bringing you food is paid in bananas, you tip because you like the service and the food, because waiting staff has a salary at least as big as national minimum wage. PS2. The more I learn about USA economy and system (which i considered the ideal life, when i was a child) the more I like Europe

[@Lestat3721]

"It doesn't effect economic growth!? Then explain why the US median wage is the sixth highest in the world and the tenth highest GDP per capita? " If ours was the best system, then why aren't we #1?

[@TOBEHONESTTV]

Dennis M it's scary that you think economic growth is more important than people actually enjoying their lives and not having to live as modern day slaves as they seem to in America

[@Lestat3721]

Dennis M You're a fucking idiot. If you think that paying maternity leave, and paying higher wages would somehow be a detriment to this country, then there is no helping you.

[@Lestat3721]

Dennis M Playing Robin Hood? Get the fuck outta here. Go back to the rest of your Tea Party friends, dress up like Benjamin Franklin, and continue to be irrelevant.

[@saskiastolk2130]

Honestly, I would not want to have to bring up a child in the US. In Germany we get the following: - We cannot get fired during pregnancy and maternity leave - 6 weeks before the calculated birth date, we we get paid leave (employers are not allowed to employ us during that time) - Fully paid maternity leave 8 weeks after giving birth, for premature births and births of disabled children this is extended to 12 weeks - Additional to that, we can take up to 3 years off to take care of the child, and this goes both for mothers and fathers (has to be a total of 3 years) - We get 12 months of paid maternity leave, if the father decides to take paternity leave as well, you get an additional 2 months as a bonus. During this time, you will receive about 65% of your income This is appreciating mothers. When I have a baby, I don't have to leave it at a "Kindergarten" at just a few weeks old. Becoming a mother should not be a painful experience in which we have to chose, or worse yet: don"t really have a choice at all. You can do better, America. Much better.

[@jackli8088]

is there certain limit on those benefits? like the size of the company, the length of ur employment , etc?

[@saskiastolk2130]

Absolutely none.

[@wurgel1]

well, there is one. You must have a job to begin with ;)

[@jackli8088]

+Saskia Stolk so, you can go to work the first day and tell ur boss u r pregnant and leave and get pay for 2years without work for single day? That will work for any job, even a busser at a small restaurant, a cashier, at a small retail store. I could only imagine NO one will hire a woman unless they fill out a form stating they won't get pregnant. I m curious about how this work? And where do u live? I want to move there.

[@jackli8088]

John Oliver show just another media show who exaggerated an issue and bias on the facts they show. America is a immigration country, unlike the European. I m pretty sure those benefits only apply to their CITIZENS, and there is ALMOST No way to get citizenship or the #is limited. In USA, u can get unemployment benefits for up to 2.5years which cover 85%of ur normal wages. And none the less all other benefits that cover ur housing, food, medical, utilities, baby sitting, etc. For higher end jobs, like my sister in law. She get 2hours of break every day, extra time off, baby sitting assistance from her job when she has the baby. They even brought her a milk pump , a massage chair, designated private room for her need. Don't just believe everything they tell u on the media, they r only there for entertainment purposes.

[@LutzHerting]

Viewers from the rest of the world: "Hm, I'm gonna watch that. I wonder what's wrong with the paid family leave system in the USA." John Oliver: "We don't have one." Viewers: "WHAT THE FUUUUUCK??? What the hell is wrong with you people?"

[@DeeJayFM]

Everything. -An American

[@reesev3425]

Ur acting like this is our fault

[@DeeJayFM]

@@reesev3425 blame the politicians

[@GermDGator]

Abdul yup

[@amazedalloy]

In Ireland, DADS get a month. The idea of mothers getting nothing is horrific

[@user-hl7bw8yw7n]

In my country women get a full year of paid maternity leave and then a second year of unpaid leave. And the quality of live here is not nearly as good as that in the States. It really makes me feel proud of my country knowing that we treat our women so much better.

[@BigEZ95]

All hail John Oliver, All hail John Oliver.

[@jakmanxyom]

Kerry Wichterich Glory be to his brillentness. May his wisdom shine beyond his sturdy, ebony glasses...and may the radiating LOLs bring eternal consolation in spirit to the troubled lands of which that he may give concern. So be it.

[@Linarel]

Kerry Wichterich Our Savior from Misinformation and King of funny dialog!

[@CainCalifornia]

Kerry Wichterich And the magical conch.

[@DOC7ORT]

ALL HAIL

[@Ikine557]

Kerry Wichterich Hear, hear!

[@veronicacornavaca6562]

I have to say... I have two children, both born here in America while working at the same place. I was able to use my vacation time to stay out for 2.5 month and 3 months, respectively. I was a mayor effort to accumulate all that time before I even got pregnant and then during my pregnancy (sounds like folic acid... you should start before you are even thinking about getting pregnant if you want it to work out). But I digress. I hear about all these other countries that allow all this paid leave, and maybe because I'm preconditioned to think mothers are not worth it based on my experience, I say to myself "well heck!.... I'm not even asking for THAT much! Two years? That's a lot!" And like John said, some mothers will be ready to get back to work and will be happy when they do. What I don't understand is... in many places in this country it is illegal to sell puppies before they are 8 weeks old, because they should not be separated from their mothers. HOW ON EARTH CAN THIS SAME GOVERNMENT EXPECT HUMAN MOTHERS TO DO WITH LESS THAN THAT?

[@jacobmonks3722]

It not so much a moral reason as it is just a violation of the constitution. Granting maternity leave is simply not within the powers of Congress, so its up to state legislatures to decide whether businesses should be forced to or not.

[@spotflippop9493]

Nerdy George Washington yeah, cause a 200+ year old document totally should be how our country should run. literally zero women worked on the constitution.

[@jacobmonks3722]

Spotflip Pop Are you saying that the ideals of freedom an equality are outdated?

[@JXKyrian]

Contextual manipulation, baiting, and changing the subject all at once... Nerdy's multitasking on that one.

[@jacobmonks3722]

It was a legitimate question. If you say that the document that promotes and protects freedom and equality is bad or needs to be changed then you obviously do not approve of its ideals which is why you want change.

[@theworldwins]

Mother’s Day at Hooters must be the best time for the waitresses, all the guys are on their best behavior.

[@g.d.graham2446]

Lol

[@niuginigaming]

This report is inaccurate, mothers in Papua New Guinea are given up to 3 months maternity leave, Sorry US, you're on your own here

[@kirdiekirdie]

Is it paid though?

[@TheNinthGenerarion]

kirdiekirdie it is now

[@pyramidhead6998]

Its not wrong, you're just late.

[@ariannaellie3087]

I remember when my first kid was born I had asked for just 1 day off. I wanted to be home on the day my wife came home after her c-section. I was denied and told "You'll appreciate the extra money later". Yep, the extra $50 on that pay check sure meant a lot more to me than being there for my family....

[@rickrolld1367]

So the USA is on it's own...

[@chesseswar]

REALLY? Even SOMALIA, a country without a central government, gives their mothers paid maternity leave? THEN WHY CAN'T WE???

[@ddogthepimp]

Pranav Eswaran well to be fair that means they don't have federally regulated work laws. but yeah your point is still valid!

[@jeppel1972]

Pranav Eswaran You see? Countries with maternity leave don't have a central government. That's totally how it works, right?

[@jeppel1972]

bignickdigger Well, if they actually have PAID maternety leave, that doesn't come from a lack of laws.

[@chesseswar]

A lack of laws certainly doesn't HELP them provide maternity leave, JePPeL .

[@Danosaur101]

Somalia is under Al Shabab rule and thus doesn't allow any foreign multinational corporations to come in and exploit the native population. Because of fact that they are under fundamentalist Islamist rule maternity is dictated by sharia law so in their own way they have a form of maternity leave.

[@ravenandstar]

Who is cheering for Papa New Guinea to get Paid Family Leave first. So the USA would be the only country in the world that doesn't have it. Then we can be alone at the bottom.

[@wowdogememe1541]

yeah I owe them that

[@RacingAtHome]

They won! www.pg.undp.org/content/papua_new_guinea/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2016/03/11/papua-new-guinea-maternity-leave-policies.html

[@mreshadow]

Holy shit

[@zillafire101]

We lose.

[@overgrownkudzu]

this is sad.

[@ishizumontoya8162]

to everyone asking how they can be pro life and anti maternity leave at the same time: it´s very simple, they´re not either. they´re anti women. simple as that.

[@rehksthemess9800]

☕️☕️☕️

[@kgfes]

I have never understood the logic of "I am pro-life if you are are in the uterus but against you for the rest of your life"

[@Nerdiness1985]

I personality like the sanctify of life argument in contrast with the death penalty. Or life is scared................but if shit doesn't work out for you...............you're fucked. Or having a department of defense which has never ever in it's history been used for defensive purposes. Do you know what universal healthcare is called in most industrialized countries? Healthcare.

[@zdu5932]

The anti-abortion people think killing a foetus is wrong, and people who don’t believe in paid family leave think it isn’t the government’s place to boss employers around. A pretty shit combination, but not anti-women, just that they won’t solve problems because of their political philosophy.

[@Resi1ience]

Man, women who have children they don't want are not in for a fun ride

[@Tanuki-Sama]

America: No don't abort keep the baby! Future generations deserve a chance! Also America: Wait get back to work we lost 0,000000005% of our earnings we're going bankrupt! A baby? That's not important leave it wherever and come or you're fired!

[@mooniejohnson]

I... I think that was possibly the best way to describe baseball I've ever heard. "Wear my baggy pajamas and swing a cone of wood to make a ball go far."

[@hazukichanx408]

Now we need one for soccer. Like... "Run around a field kicking a ball slowly toward the other team's goal, but not *too* far, past their defensive line, or else it'll be invalid..."

[@JarateHunter]

@@hazukichanx408 Gotta be more oversimplified, like "put on my baggy shorts and kick a ball into a net"

[@DeeJayFM]

Now basketball

[@autumnsprite]

@@DeeJayFM put on my baggy shorts and *throw* a ball into a net

[@name_0]

tennis: put on my baggy shorts and *hit* a ball *across* a net

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Over 180 countries provide payed leave for mothers and most of them include the fathers as well. This does not just include countries with struggling economies like Venezuela but also thriving ones like Germany and Canada. Giving at least women six months payed leave does not hurt the economy, this is a well known fact. Facts are not liberal or right wing, they are just facts. Why you people can't get with the program is literally mind boggling.

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Puglous Giving few mothers time to recover and be with their children does not hurt the economy.......Giving a billion dollar bonus to bankers and starting wars however drains it pretty damn quickly :) That and the U.S is one of only few countries that does not give maternity leave to mothers. Germany does it and their economy is booming and so does almost everyone else. You complain about a loss of money in it's 0.01% when you completely disregard large gambles that waste billions.

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Puglous You already have it both ways in 99% of the world :) That and many people simply don't have any money to save due to low paying jobs, bills and other such things. Giving maternity leave is not just something we do to make it easier for mothers to recover we also do it to show respect to our own mothers. They carried us for nine months, the least we could do is giving them time to recover.

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Puglous You are aware that several countries offer men payed paternity leave? As in they get some time with their children as well as they have a right to. You are right the U.S is not like Europe, you don't have free healthcare which is a human right, you don't have safe streets, you waste billions of dollars on useless things like warfare and making sure your bankers are happy and you don't even have the decency to treat your veterans right. And this is not counting the poor education standards, income inequality and droves of people in prison that aren't supposed to be there in the first place ;)

[@talyemmanuela]

Puglous you do understand that for you to have workforce you need people, for you to make people you need women that, in the majority of cases, will take care of them for at least 18 years till they are able to work. So with your line of thinking I propose all women just don't have any kids and see what happens to the economy in a couple of years time. We are half of the population for fuck sake and we still have to debate that having kids is a luxury and we are not allowed paid time to recover from labour or to nurture first months of the newborn?

[@dadmoo12]

Puglous Are you really going to be sick?, why? It won't all be your money that gets given away you know?

[@johnson941]

I think it's so stupid that it doesn't even make sense on the businesses end. The amount of stress no paid maternity leave causes almost definitely causes trouble for every one involved.

[@helvete983]

"This is not how its supposed to work" should be the USA's official motto.

[@DarMat7]

Along with "Reagan made it worse".

[@radomu1]

I'm so happy that he made this video. This is one of the most important issues in American society and it infuriates me that this country treats mothers of newborns like trash.

[@JimmyCougar]

+R Yokoe Any right thinking people and society loves women and mothers, and he's said that 40% of the workforce in the U.S. does get time off when they meet conditions like being a full time employee. He's arguing for full socialized paid leave for ALL women similar to what the UK has. The disconnect seems to come from the mind that getting pregnant is a choice and women do need to be responsible on when to have a child and with who. Women who are responsible and good parents will save up money, take time off from their job or reduce working hours, and raise the kid as best as as parents could. (Also, not everyone wants to support deadbeat mothers who just use the court system to get child support and free welfare money for giving someone another unfulfilled childhood by a single mom.) This does barely touch on fathers and fatherhood, but nobody really wants to talk about the working dad that has to pay for the home, wife, and child either.

[@martewighusjeilen4903]

In Norway parents get up to 12 months paid maternity leave for every child mothers get up to 12 weeks before the child is born and month of their choice after the baby is born the father also get maternity leave all paid where you get full salary while on your leave. If you don't have a high salary the government will give you money. In Norway we have NAV that gives any unemployed person enough money to get a home and food. Also maternity leaves and any injury you can stop working but still have full salary and job security

[@RedSuitcase22]

+Puglous the woman can support herself but now she has a CHILD, you know a whole other human to support that was the product of both a man and a woman.

[@radomu1]

Marte Wighus Jeilen Norway, as with many aspects of its welfare state, is an exceptional case, even within Scandinavia, but the reality is that paid leave is guaranteed in the vast majority of the world, including the third world, and not in the United States. Much like universal healthcare, there needs to be a greater discourse in American politics to state that guaranteed paid leave is not a radical measure in any sense. Mentioning the exceptionally generous Norwegian parental care system might give some ammunition for opponents from the right to decry 'socialism' like they usually do.

[@radomu1]

Puglous Everyone, man and women, need the support of the society through the state. That is the nature of modern life.

[@LuisDiegoMontero21]

Wow! I'm reading a research about slavery in Central America during colonial times. Slaved women had up to 10 months off for giving birth. It wasn't paid cause they were slaves, but that should ring a bell...

[@mipha8795]

are you serious!?!?!? we treated slaves better than our women????? god damn America really is a bad place to live

[@LuisDiegoMontero21]

+Phoenix flame Well the research I read was about slavey in Central America (from Guatemala to Costa Rica); I don't know about slavery in the US. But, still the fact that enslaved women in Spanish colonies during the 18th and the 19th centuries had more benefits in terms of maternity leave than American women in the 21st century is very depressing

[@sinatracann1591]

They probably just wanted to ensure that the kid would grow up to be a strong and fit..slave

[@danieln.1034]

+Sinatra Cann Yes that's exactly what they wanted. Because the mortality rate was high and they wanted replacement.

[@MsJassi13]

Well but don't we want the same for our children though, to be happy and healthy and strong individuals? -not to be slaves of course but to be functioning members of society

[@Valyssi]

Problem is most legislators grew up in a time where a single-income household was not only viable, but could provide for a 4-bed house (owned not rented) and 2 cars with enough money left for other things. And that's on 'regular job' salaries, not even requiring a bachelor.

[@DarMat7]

They, along with some others in their generation, can't comprehend that the world has changed 😒

[@Oninova]

I'm currently on Parental Leave, and I'm lucky enough to have an employer that gives 12 weeks of paid leave. As a first-time father, this has been an incredible experience for me and it allows me to bond with my child and help my wife care for him.

[@Hippie_pa]

Love hearing this. I’m taking parental leave for the first time in my second and is reassuring to hear the positives from other dads. I took 2 weeks with my first and looking forward to 8 now as we grow our family.

[@LEGIT_ELITE]

How anyone can be proud to live in the USA I have no idea....

[@1994CPK]

Ha, your a funny man

[@1994CPK]

***** what the fuck kind of English do you try to speak?

[@needsmorsleep]

LEGIT_ELITE American institutions have pushed the frontiers of human knowledge more in the last hundred years than the rest of humanity of in the last 100,000. Our academic output still eclipses the rest of the world combined

[@marintao5420]

needsmorsleep You do realize that's a lot of hogwash right? I mean there are a lot of advances in the last 100 years that we aren't responsible for and our academic output doesn't eclipse the rest of the world, I mean we're 28th in math and science! You're telling me that somehow with a score that low we're better than the rest of the world? I mean have you actually been paying attention to scientific journals lately because a majority of them don't focus on what we're doing in this country.

[@TM56]

LEGIT_ELITE I'm American and I am very proud to live in the USA, thank you very much. Paid maternity leave should not be forced on taxpayers to pay if someone decides to have a baby. That is your life choice and you should afford to pay for it. If not, then don't have baby. Also, most businesses in the USA pay some form of maternal and paternal leave to some level, but a mandate by the gov. is going too far. Just my two cents...

[@AbrahamHernandez]

I live in Mexico, yes, that country that americans make fun of and look to in horror because of our "lack of humanism", but even we have FREE health care, PAID maternity leave and a ton of other laws to protect workers.

[@MyJunior09]

Abraham Hernandez Go back to work Hernandez.

[@dustintacohands1107]

Abraham Hernandez whats taxes like there?

[@AbrahamHernandez]

Dustin Tacohands our taxes are the same as always, some people may not get it, but I've lived in the US and Mexico, honestly, I like it better here.

[@AbrahamHernandez]

bob joe our hospitals have saved more lives than your cops... I'll take my chances going to a Mexican hospital before walking down your racist streets

[@MegaBEANER1000]

lol Albraham, Mexico is poor and a shit hole, keep talking about how bad America is, no one wants to live in broke ass Mexico.

[@mukeshsharma5374]

In India, 22 weeks paid maternity leaves can be taken, and this is just for the mother. Father can also take leave for 2 weeks.

[@tcjusttc5418]

And yet when Bernie calls for this they call him radical.

[@DesoloSubHumus]

Bernie is radical, if you go by 1980's slang. ;)

[@alexandermills9965]

If he were running for PM or President anywhere in Europe he'd be considered as a Conservative

[@dimitrispapadakis2122]

@@alexandermills9965 not in greece

[@Yoshsterpalooza]

Alexander Mills nope, he’s literally a communist

[@Yoshsterpalooza]

TC Just TC he is a radical and paid parental leave won’t work

[@tynaspins684]

This whole issue makes me so angry. When my daughter was born, I was able to take 4 weeks off, unpaid, by using up all of my vacation time I'd saved up during my pregnancy, which only added up to something like 10 days. The rest was "paid" by Short Term disability, which is only about 30% of your actual income. This was during a time when I was in my senior year of college and working in human services. I would have loved to take more time off, especially since I'd had complications, but I couldn't afford it. My kid's dad was able to take 5 days off. We had saved up quite a bit just to pay for the hospital and bills during my "maternity leave", but it was still a struggle. Then, of course, once my kid's dad left, I was still working the same job, but made too much for assistance, so now, 10 years later (and now working in upper management in human services, with 3 college degrees), I'm in a crap ton of debt from credit cards I had taken out to buy baby food, diapers, etc. So, basically, the whole system is fucked and there are very few who openly talk about it. But, heaven forbid someone mentions increased restrictions on buying guns - that gets plastered all over the news sites. Priorities in this country are ridiculously skewed. And before anyone pulls the whole "well then you shouldn't have had a kid" bs on me, it wasn't planned, I was on birth control, and it still happens. Not that it matters, because regardless of what you think, it still is outrageous that new mothers (and fathers) are held in such low regard.

[@NA0533]

Tyna Spins Normal countries support new mothers and new borns, USA is not normal. No one cares about anything but money. It's sickening

[@surtu9221]

They'll say if you can't afford a kid you should give it up for adoption. Of course even if you had given your child up for adoption, you would have still had to go through a possibly lethal experience, all the symptoms of pregnancy which make school and work harder, then pay a fortune just to have it, get all the paperwork done, and attend to your own weakened health afterward. For which they legislate no support money. Nothing. No help at all. It's either you're a virgin or you deserve whatever happens to you, and if you didn't marry a big strong man who can support you quitting your job, then that's your own fault. They act like women who accidentally become pregnant are trying to 'steal' money from the country. Well, maybe one woman somewhere would try to live her whole life off disability and spawning 100 kids, but I'm sure a common sense law borrowed from some other country can account for that.

[@46619TAB]

It amazes me how the people that complain about how bad things are in the USA continue to vote for the very politicians that continue to make things bad in the USA.

[@templarking2]

***** I blame Fox news for brainwashing them. Fox news is like an TV preacher, fleecing millions.

[@46619TAB]

Steven king All one has to do to get elected is to scream ISIS is in the US, homosexual marriage will cause the end of religion and promise tax cuts and the sheeple run to the polls to pull the R lever every time. And you're correct, FOXwannabeNEWS "we tell you what to think so you don't have to" as the right wing propaganda tool plays a major role as well.

[@46619TAB]

Pers D You're correct. In 2014 a lot of Democrats or those leaning to vote for a Democrat sat out the election perhaps thinking 'what nut case would actually vote for that nut case". Well, the nut cases didn't fact check before casting their R ballot and look at what happened.

[@mbanana23456]

It's a bit like north Korea, all candidates are the same

[@noahjenkinson9280]

It's just politics here. You get a choice of bull shit or dog shit. Which one do you eat? That's how it normally works out between candidates here.

[@oshaw9186]

This is true. When i had my son i used all of my sick time and vacation. Then when that ran out I used short term disability which they took taxes out & health insurance after that I was given $250 every two weeks which I could not live off of. So after having a baby & having surgical repairments to my abdomen. I had to return 8 weeks latter. Thank you America for being so caring.

[@HaylieSings]

“Not only can you balance work and family, you have to.”

[@Quettesh]

Again - i'm so grateful that i live in Europe. With every new episode of this show i'm more and more grateful for living here. Paid family leave is here for 2 or 3 years in which is fix amount of money distributed every month (not much but still it is income you know that you get) and your employer has to take you back after that leave - isn't it right this way?

[@xXBlacky77Xx]

+Quettesh I'm from europe, too, and I think it is. It should also be normality for both parents to have the right to take family leave. A child doesn't just need the love of his mother but also that of his father. It's sad that that isn't an obvious thing...

[@marissabucaro7880]

i would feel grateful for where I live too, if I watched a show literally dedicated to nothing but pointing out domestic issues in foreign countries.

[@alcheowl]

+Mathieu Letellier would love to not live here, but I was born here and unfortunately I'm still a freshman in highschool.

[@SoAS26]

Can I please shift to Europe !

[@krichards816]

Yep. Me and my family have immigrated to NZ. SO very happy to be out of the US. Now my kids do not have to hear about shootings every time I turn on the TV, etc.

[@QuiteFranklyFrank]

Wow. In Sweden we have 480 days of paid leave after a child is born, which can be split up between the parents as they see fit. America, Im crying for you.

[@dr335]

+QuiteFranklyFrank and many (most?) big companys fill up more of the gap between full salary and parental leave. im getting 10 months with 90% pay, woh! that leaves my partner with another 6 months. if we want to we lower the % and just be on leave until the child is 4,5 years old. so fukk u, land of the free. labour slaves, haha!

[@memphisashes3713]

holy sht.

[@BeeWaifu]

+QuiteFranklyFrank In Belgium there's six weeks of optional paid maternal leave before the birth (for preparations and what not), and seven obligatory weeks. Even if the mother wants to go back to work, we scoop her up in a snow shovel and throw her through the fucking window of her house right back next to her kid(s).

[@artemisfowl7191]

+bladiumdragon not litterally right?

[@BeeWaifu]

Artemis Fowl Whatever you want to believe. :D

[@abookishmess]

I love how Republicans don't want abortions to be legal. And don't want these women to get paid leave. Like jesus you're supposed to be force into birth, child care, and not get any leave from that.

[@oncoucharrest5910]

In Canada, new Moms get 18 months paid leave. If she doesn’t want to take the entire time, Dad can take anytime that is left over. So we have maternity and paternity leave!

[@PaniPunia]

In Europe You HAVE TO take a 3 months paid leave after a childbirth (and in most countries of the EU it's highly encouraged to take one after miscarireg), because that's how long it takes for a womens body to recover from the labour. There's no point of having an employe who's bleeding, or couldn't walk or sit and as an addiction is focusing only on her baby (hard to not to if their brests are spiting milk all over the place and so on...). Right now in Poland (not actualy at the front of gender equality) we're discussing the 6 weeks paid leave for fathers. What the fuck USA?

[@owlnemo]

+Puglous Well, we also have three months paid leave for mothers in Switzerland and are discussing 6 weeks paid leave for fathers, same as in Poland. I'm pretty sure our economy is fine.

[@h4n5i]

+Puglous exportpower german here, parents can decide who stays and who leaves the workplace and the one leaving gets a percentage of his old income funded by government, this takes about two years and most people get paid leave while they are pregnant. because we have actual workesrights, and well you see we burn the shit up like a motherfucker, our exportrates are the fuckin shit, with a third the population the us has we make make just 0.1 trillion less than the us and 0.8 trillion less than china, talking about efficiency. oh and btw with 1.2 trillion in 2014 we are even the lowest in import of these three usa beeing dependent in numbers #1 with 2.4 trillion us dollars import. china like germany more rational in its spendings 1.9 trillion. us export 1.6, import 2,4 = -0.8 china export 2.3, import 1,9 = +0.4 germany export 1.5, import 1.2 = +0.3(all numbers in trillion dollars) and your women haven't even the right to be paid for a leave? i mean china is at least a real superpower fucking with human rights, but the us degrades itsself quite fantastically without any positive effect...

[@h4n5i]

Rock Golem hence the u.S. was a little late to that party i'd love to laugh about a guy pretencious enough to name the us first for his great grandfathers actions regarding the last time the us actually has installed a democracy, still failing to bring it to the whole country. don't get me wrong others than my great grand father i have no problem with joking or criticising my country for its still valid nickname, " Der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland" Paul Celan. but how about you, can you laugh about the pinacles of absurdity your country produces in order to be called " defender of human rights"? i surely couldn't because i value sentences like " Es gibt kein richtiges Leben im falschen" Theodor W. Adorno. even hitler had more respect for mothers, since he knew, their decision to bear a child is what decides about his future decisions with this child. U.S. Conservatives try to express that they are pro life by beeing against abortion, but this just shows that they have no dignity when it comes to actually value Human Rights. mothers not beeing able to have a paid leave or even mothers who are in danger of losing their jobs if they actually bring a future workforce to life are restricted in their right to be unharmed physically alike psycholgically, a government letting that happen is on its way to become the new third reich. so funny how you talk about your grandfathers doings, and tell him thanks, because without him i would have had to kill my own grandfather in order to defend human rights., would have been a mess, and family values oh dude don't even think about how hard it would have been to stop the third reich after 80 years of existence. but you, you should have listen closly when it comes to the history behind the third reich, because that one was once also a democracy, before they started to opress their own body of state in order to conquer the world. quite any other country has rules to empower women or even both parents to have children. no matter how good your joke about america saving the day back in the day is, it won't be as hilarious as you talking about others peoples actions way in the past to defend your own inactions in similar situations in the present. And now, for your entertainment, a joke about the current situation in regards to VW right now in a garage in hell, there sits a disillusioned Hitler in a VW bettle, trying to gas himself with the exaust ;)

[@h4n5i]

Rock Golem Oh the reds truely were never a problem, they didn't colaborate with stalin like hitler did... sorry that you think communisim is what lenin mao or geuverra installed, communism is nothing but a theoretical term for the form of society after Capitalism done fucked up, written by marx. pretty helpful to Capitalists in order to beware peace between the masses that are willing to work and the few that need more workforce to get their project running on a longtermbasis. about my grandfather, as member of the wehrmacht he once was, sweared his oath on hitler, as a former member of the bundeswehr i swore my oath on our costitution which is mainly a representation of the human rights, see the conflict here? but making that happen would have too involve two different universes, and a war between those two universes countries on earth. one universe regular as this, one where hitler actually won. that is not really likable, you know ;)

[@antitroller101]

+Agnieszka Skorupińska For Fathers too? wow that is something

[@HeapOfBones]

Topics like this make me wonder how anyone can function as a human being in the USA.

[@Pecisk]

HeapOfBones because it's about American dream which 99,99999% of US citizens won't get. But as in previous episode about lotteries, they are just conditioned that way - not to request anything, stay low and maybe you will hit jackpot.

[@HaroldDavidsonUS]

HeapOfBones Why do you think the world proportion of psychopaths is 1 to every 100, while in the U.S. it's 1 to every 25. Our country literally drives us *FUCKIN' INSANE*.

[@Slaneshhhh]

Harold Davidson You cannot become a psychopath (well maybe through brain damage).

[@phililen3]

***** Don't forget that dastardly free health care.

[@joaofranciscoramalheterodr2864]

Michał Żywczyk wrong.

[@ikemaster22]

"Strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business." -Beyonce's Run the World.

[@tobito2013]

ikedog So that's what she meant.

[@priscillawilson2634]

Bear.

[@abvhrulz]

This fact blows my mind. In Canada we have 52 weeks if maternity or paternity leave combined for both parents) where the government pays 45% of your wage (I think). Employers can pay the raining but it isn't required. I don't think this is enough and I don't even have or went kids. The fact that American women have almost no options for proper healthcare or rights for themselves and then also have nothing to help after a kid is born is criminal.

[@vanyadolly]

I really don't get how anti-abortion and no support for mothers go together.

[@excel9528]

+vanyadolly Just like being ,,pro-life`` and the death penalty

[@obiwankenobi661]

+vanyadolly easy: more people equals cheaper workforce. its called inflation. also, unwanted children are much more likely to be the product of-, and grow up in-, a low education household, making them even more likely to be cheap and stupid. easy to control and completely replaceable. just look at the south.

[@bennyton2560]

use children to put women into place. It's called patriarchy

[@stealthassulter]

It's simple... You add retards of America and add spineless Republicans ... It fits really well.. it's a fact.

[@tylermccollum309]

Lmfao wow that's pretty savage link makes this even darker

[@ahouyearno]

Living in Germany, I had a full month in paid parental leave with an option to stay home up to a year. Best time of my life. Bonding with a newly born child is so important. I'm a family values kind of guy which is why I'd vote Bernie Sanders if I lived in the USA The company I work for has a 20% annual growth rate because the employees are so motivated and happy. Yeah ... granting more than the legal amount of parental leave is one of the best ways to make your business grow fast.

[@GrapeappleTree]

My nephew was born 2.5 years ago, and my sister still hasn't gone back to work, she wants to be home until he is ready to go to kindergarten (3ish years), and her job is still waiting for her, and eventhou she isn't getting 100% of what she got the first year, she is still getting about 800 euros i think, per month from the government... (Finland)

[@ahouyearno]

J-M M And that's why the scandinavian model of social democracy is the best form of government in the world. The german model is a distant second.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

Yup! It doesn't get much more family values than the mom getting a year off with pay and the dad getting half a year off with pay. I'm not a parent yet, but when that happens I'll be quite happy to live in Scandinavia. It's as if America missed the memo that a well rested worker is a productive worker.

[@ahouyearno]

Pile of carbon did I mention 30 days of paid leave a year :D to be fair, parental leave should be the same for men and women. All parents should have the right to be available parents.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

ahouyearno Oh yea! =D The smugness in this thread is off the scale! xD If you ever feel that life has handed you a raw deal, read/watch a bit about America and things look much less gloomy.

[@cristinavera8616]

I don't get why Republicans don't think we should have paid family leave if they're the ones that are Prolife?

[@berserkley]

Because pro money beats pro life everytime

[@lovelylexi2076]

If you’re against maternity leave, I’d like you to try something. Go up to your mother, or biological mother if that’s your situation , and tell her you don’t like the fact she needed time off to recover from giving birth to you. Heck, you don’t even need to because you’re already doing that by not supporting maternity leave. Women literally bring life into the world, don’t take that for granted.

[@strawberrylemonadesorbet2886]

Guys, the US and Papua New Guinea. JUST the USA and Papua New Guinea. You know what that means? NORTH KOREA is more progressive in this regard than we are! Shouldn't that tell us something?

[@arlieklaasse7048]

EVEN CHINA

[@ismt9390]

Communist countries support families quite a lot. I live in a former communist country and people used to be payed for having children. The more kids the better. Women who had 5 or 6 children were called "Hero Moms" and they didn't have to work for the rest of their lives. Also, abortion was illegal... that lead to abandoning a lot of unwanted children... anyway, it was all to stimulate population growth. It worked, but now we're in trouble because of it.

[@juhaniaho6698]

Aku Jo Why is that?

[@thegreatrussello9157]

Juhani Aho overpopulation im guessing

[@stan5250]

You dumb, how much do you know about North Korea? Really?

[@suz7341]

I live in Portugal and today I saw this on tv, and it made me so sad. How can this be possible? How can public opinion and politicians be so cruel to mothers and to fathers?

[@aviroblox6624]

+Puglous Please fuck off, you've basically insulted every single person in the entire comment section. What do you want when a mother and father wants a child the father should work their ass off to make up for the lost wage and the mother should stay at home... wait wasn't that EXACTLY how it worked until the 1950's! Or the other option is the mother going back to work TWO days after giving birth to a child or LOSING her job because fuck moms am I right... I'm American and I can take a little criticism time to time, you are an example of what other countries think all Americans are like.

[@kimwarburton8490]

Puglous again, you are incorrect 1st, there's alot of other people out there than you, they will have had different experiences than you. it is sometimes beneficial to talk to them n actively HEAR their experiences without ur own bias n filters distorting what u hear. This will enable you to have greater compassion for those less fortunate than you. One of the christian virtues i admire n in short supply these days, esp in usa around this issue. After all if EVERY. SINGLE. OTHER. COUNTRY except new guinea n usa manage to value their producers of the next generation to carry their country forwards into the future, why can't usa? afterall, as u stated, it is the richest country in the world. so that means india, china, north korea, iran, tibet, peru, equador, somalia, kenya, nigeria, tanzania etc etc all treat their new mothers better than the so-called christian based country of america -.- the dollar is being devalued by quantitative easing and other stimulus packages that make the numbers look good usa maybe rich, but the costs of living there are higher than other western countries (all costs, not just financial) what about automation? robots produce goods n services and its only gunna increase ... but the dollars that makes doesnt exist because wasnt created by human labour -taking ur argument to it's logical conclusion, i wonder what planet u come from, or, that you dont know what ur talking about as much as u think u do yes money grows on trees for those who keep printing it out of thin air (banks n fed reserve) check out how money is created through debt^ -they literally (n yes i do mean literally in the literal sense of the word literal) create it. dollar is a fiat currency, it's not real money. there is nothing to back it, nothing it's tied to, so they can just keep printing away n they do .... yes there's been whispers of another financial crisis caused by hyperinflation in next few years, which will come after an initial slump on the stock markets, only this time it'll be worse. last time it was only houses n banks, this time it'll be everything thats in the bubble (google 'the everything bubble') finally, have u heard of attachment disorder? it can cause social and mental problems later in life. caused by separation of baby and main care provider that forms initial attachment with baby -this means more costs for society than paying a bit of maternal leave so mothers can have the extra time to make that attachment secure. it means therapy and drugs (maybe illegal ones) on one end and the child growing up with lack of social skills, lower IQ, less health n thus job prospects on the other -no wonder usa has such low levels in education compared to countries that have these social policies!^^ all these arguments of yours just to say " im a selfish prick, i only care about myself n what benefits me and wont help anyone even if by pissing on them i put out a fire" but you use these 'arguments' so that u still look good n can get away with ur selfishness, while not being ostracised cos u have reasons that initially sound legit, until closer examination

[@ArcturusOTE]

Paternalism derived from white supremacy, that's how

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

​@@kimwarburton8490 As is told, our beloved USA is a third workd country in a fancy suit.

[@mema0005]

Watching this on my 15th and final week of fully paid Norwegian paternity leave. Because we get nice things here

[@lisamarie5937]

My daughter is 5 weeks old and thankfully I can take as long as I need because my boyfriend makes enough to support us for now. I can't imagine trying to go to work right now since baby still hasn't realized she can sleep for more than an hour at a time. I am up ALL. NIGHT. Both mothers and fathers should have paid time off.

[@Kamerick13]

I think in Canada, you get 55% of your average earnings while on maternity leave, and you can be on leave for up to 52 weeks (1 year) after the baby is born, or adopted, and brought home (since maternity leave is also offered to parents who adopt a child)

[@RaptorNX01]

and as I understand it, fathers get up to 6 months as well.

[@RaptorNX01]

and as I understand it, fathers get up to 6 months as well.

[@BubbleTeaLuvFTW]

Well then, let me just buy a plane ticket to Canada.

[@Kamerick13]

RaptorNX01 maternity leave is actually 6 months, and we also have parental leave for another 6 months after maternity leave. Either parent can take parental leave, but not both parents.

[@Kamerick13]

And i think you actually cant get maternity leave for adoptions, but you do get parental leave (since maternity leave is to heal from the birth process)

[@KMAsKorner]

It is stories like these that confirms my thoughts that America is actually run by companies looking for a profit at no expense. Americans are not human beings anymore from the companies perspectives, we are workers and they are trying to figure out how to get more work from us.

[@tactless8671]

KMAs Korner Getting there.

[@LyricalDJ]

KMAs Korner Instead, you now have companies being seen as 'human beings' (or, rather, individuals).

[@Oneiricist]

***** The larger point is that unfettered capitalism ends with the world's majority in fetters. Statistics or no.

[@Oneiricist]

***** I know enough about deregulatory trends in the actual world to make reasonable inferences about what their further expansion would entail, yes. No miracle there. But you're still just arguing a small point in service of a vaguely implied larger one.

[@coopercollins3020]

KMAs Korner leave

[@ArcanineEspeon]

Happy Mother's Day, unchanged America!

[@farkao8]

A video that made me stop eating, switch off lights and laying in bed in tears. Is this America ?

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

Move to Norway, they have mandatory paid maternity leave. And no matter how much you make the gov gives you a welfare check for the kid till it's 18, then two years of college free.

[@nolovenohate]

I'm right you're wrong Woooooooooow, half of college free? Norway has some good policies.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

Its not actually college it like pre college, but depending on what you do in it you can get a whole four years for free, plus college over there is so cheap it might as well be free. My sister lives there and because she's working in a school there gunna let her finish her masters for a third of the price, witch is an eighth of what it cost in the U.S.

[@SapphireCrook]

Mohammad Al-Zawahreh Isn't Norway also heavily funded by oil industries? It's like they're smart about investing in the future because they have the money to do so!

[@AirahsELL]

Sapphire Crook Norway has a lot of natural oil and little to no emigration. Theyre not xenophobic, just nobody ever goes there and they can support this system.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

They have the most stable economy in Europe, and produce 8% of the worlds traded oil. So they got money

[@stefanie9072]

This is so important... this video should be everywhere.... its such a big and important issue. Plus, why is it always old men making the decisions for women and mothers? That makes me sick

[@phzoro371]

+Puglous You really are that terrified of women aren't you? And for why old men should not make the decisions on women? It's simple, they were born before the '80s. So you get people in goverment offices who push for laws based on the values they observed in their childhood that was 40, 50, 60 years ago... It really has flipped... Younger people now, have generally more wisdom then old...

[@Ayaforshort]

Is not just about being exhausted from giving birth it's about adjusting to having a new human being to care for that is literally helpless and can't communicate what it needs. That's why it's important for BOTH INVOLVED parents to be given leave. Especially since no one needs an employee who is half crazy because they stayed up all night. Give them time to recuperate and return fresh.

[@shanelchamik2177]

In Zambia we give 60 maternity paid leave, but you have to work for atleast 2years with the company. If you are owed vacation if can even be away for 4-6 months.

[@michaelalbano7956]

Politicians against paid eave are literally saying "I love my mother... but see does NOT deserve time off with pay in order to safely give birth to me and to bond with me in my first days of life under any circumstances including if I am born premature or with life-threatening complications." I wonder how many people can actually say stuff like that with their mothers sitting next to them?

[@krombopulos_michael]

I never knew Americans weren't entitled to any paid leave, that's crazy. It's even crazier that people can be against it and still win reelection.

[@deriznohappehquite]

Cian Fuck that shit. That would be, like, 0.03% off of my mega-corporation's bottom line. That's worth more than a thousand lifetimes of your paltry salary.

[@traviswilliams9904]

Cian blame people such as the late fallwell, can't die soon enough billy graham and his brood, and others for creating a massively fundamentalist voter bloc out of the baby boomer generation where people care more about the religion, abortion, same sex marriage debates than any real issues and thus vote for these idiots over and over and over again.

[@sterlingwilson9830]

Cian I am against force. And so I am against forcing (with the ultimate threat being violence) any company to provide this benefit. I am fully in favor of a company choosing to do so. In the long run, companies that provide a pleasant environment to their employees are more likely to to have productive employees. But force makes this offering something less than generous and is likely in fact to create friction between owners and employees since the benefits of the relationship are no longer voluntary.

[@sterlingwilson9830]

***** Indeed. Thinking it's normal to have both parents away from home while a child grows up is essentially the product of brainwashing.

[@krombopulos_michael]

Sterling Wilson It doesn't matter if it's "generous", if you're a mother who needs time off to raise your child, how happy your boss is about it is a secondary concern. And it's not going to create any friction either, just like how it doesn't in the 180 other countries where it is the law. What do you think will happen, a manager is going to start getting pissed at employees for having kids? As someone who lives in a country where it is mandatory, I can assure you that it is not an issue. Clearly, the voluntary system doesn't work. Many companies obviously do not offer this because it would cost them money and they would never have the slightest inclination to start offering it unless the law requires it. And the ultimate threat is never violence. When has it ever happened that a government in a first-world country has sent the military in to force a corporation to conform to a regulation?

[@TheCSC017]

My family originally thought to emigrant to the Bronx from Portugal. They changed their minds and moved 8 hours north to Toronto. 30 years and 2 kids later, I couldn’t feel any luckier.

[@1medsy]

As an Englishman, engaged to an American woman and who sincerely loves the USA, this video and many more like it that my compatriot investigates on; socio-economical and political issues makes me not only sad and equally shocked but paradoxically happy that she is joining me, where she will be treated equally. America this is fucking reprehensible and inexcusable, sort your shit out.. This is the 21st Century!

[@MrKkbeau]

My mom was a single mother and she told me recently that she cried when she had to stop breastfeeding me because she had to go back to work. This is just absurd.

[@AnimePlaysMinecraft]

Honestly, I'm not very emotional or anything like that, but I know I would cry if I had to do that. It makes me sad just thinking about it.

[@raafeekhan1078]

Same thing happened to my daughter

[@RoxyLuffer]

Fun Fact America: Canada has FULL PAID LEAVE. You're the best country on the planet? I think not.

[@RoxyLuffer]

You really don't care about your mother, or any other woman, do you?

[@RoxyLuffer]

Now, what if you were a single mom with a baby, how do you pay for it after you've given birth?

[@RoxyLuffer]

Never said that at all o-o Thanks for twisting my words. But no, I'm for Gender Equality. Paid leave for mothers and Fathers, should they require it. It's amazing how bigoted, and stupid people are, and how AGAINST women's rights they are XD.

[@RoxyLuffer]

Puglous My, aren't you a disgusting waste of skin?

[@rosalieisnotfunny1140]

to puglous, how are we creating fatherlessness? and are you forgetting the fact that conceiving a child takes two people? it is very very rarely a woman's mistake causes an accidental child. woman go through absolute hell to continue the human race, have some respect.

[@lisamarie5937]

I'm so grateful that my husband makes enough to support the whole family. I work too, but I can afford to take time off for the kids. I took 2 months off after my daughter was born and I needed it badly. It's disgusting what this country does. I also have to say...I'd love that Hooter's gift more than the others. Free food!

[@leondarcy7367]

The last minutes are pure gold.

[@underwaterlion5453]

Another reason I am happy to be Canadian. #GladImNotAmerican

[@TM56]

J Lal You seriously have no life if your main goal is to boast (every week) your own twisted nationalism in order to feel better over others. It says more about your own inferior complex and Canada in general than anything about Americans. But I'm entertained...Keep going. #Canadianswithinferioritycomplex

[@williamransom940]

#nice#

[@arafat464]

J Lal Yeah well... AMERICA HAS A HUGE ARMY! which basically means we go to war a lot and we have to pay for it with our taxes... ugh...

[@1000DeadFlies]

TM56 Fucking Jealous much dude

[@1000DeadFlies]

TM56 #Americanswithsuperioritycomplex

[@mscandlex]

Dude, even here in México mothers get paid family leave

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

If the UN report is to be believed (America and Papua New Guinea being the only countries who don't), then fucking ZIMBABWE, KYRGYZSTAN, and COMMUNIST CHINA offer it.

[@elbaum]

zimbawe, no idea... Kyrgystan and China.... yes they do, ( at least in the urban areas)

[@cl1cka]

China actually really support mothers - while there is a limit to how many children you can have, they in some cases provide houses and pay for the mother to have a leave.

[@rik8612]

Europe for the win haha

[@dmdjt]

@Puglous have you studied history? did you look around the world? it doesnt seem so. while its true, that a lot of poor states have a social system (think about, why this could be), the same is true for very rich states.

[@graceupongrace2639]

Ever time I see a video from him I'm impressed. He's brilliant.

[@cc3184]

Very thankful to live in Canada where you are entitled to 1 year of paid maternity leave with the option to spread out the paid time over 18 months. And there are countries with much better parental leave laws.

[@Mycactus2611]

OMG... I'm so happy I don't live in the US! We have free medical and here there's up to a year maternity leave PAID! The last company I worked for had unlimited sick leave which was great because when discs slipped in my back, I was paid for 4 months sick leave.

[@BPFox3000]

ok so if there is more social programs what the job security for average jobs? (food service, factory jobs)

[@liahlili3495]

What country do you happen to live in????(0.0) I'm looking to move and honestly that sounds incredibly useful as I have an amazingly weak immune system.

[@Mycactus2611]

+Liah Lili Australia.

[@robbieclark7828]

It's kind of frustrating to live in this country when there are countries like Canada, Australia, or the Norwegian countries that are just as modern as the US and infinitely more progressive, yet they don't get themselves into half the shit that the US does.

[@Sapemies58]

+Robbie Clark Norwegian countries? :D

[@narutoman876]

Surprised John even mentioned paternity leave

[@Pecisk]

Attack on Titan is actual feces as he said - that would be huge cultural shock in US. Normal thing in Europe. But yeah, Europe...fuck them :)

[@stenbak88]

Ya I like it he in America where we aren't just a bunch of socialists

[@sowwers1409]

Your name lol

[@InorganicVegan]

Stenbak Do you even know what socialism is? It seems most knee-jerk anti-socialists don't. "No socialism, but don't touch my medicare!"

[@johnmatheson8045]

Diana Peña It seems that due to Stalin and the Cold War, most Americans mistake Socialism, Communism and Facism to all be the same thing; despite the fact that they are almost literally polar opposites.

[@Einschluckwasser_1]

Is there a homepage that keeps track on the development of the issues that are addressed in this show? Would be really nice to see if it makes a difference in the long run...

[@tovekauppi1616]

Where I’m from, there’s both (paid) maternity leave and paternity leave, at least 8 weeks guaranteed per parent, with additional weeks the parents can split between them however they like. Knowing that in the US there’s no paid leave at all (and many Americans live paycheque to paycheque, so they can’t afford unpaid leave) is horrendous.

[@5pctLowBattery]

Those lawmakers mothers, wives, daughters etc never had to work. Maternity leave is not part of their experience.

[@JoseAyapan]

I don't know but in my country (Guatemala) when a woman who is going to have a child can stop working a month before giving birth and took other 2 months after giving birth and still get her full salary in those months according to our laws who apply to the public and private sector.

[@aoibhinnoc6633]

The heck is wrong with the U.S, Here in Ireland you get 6 month's and it is paid, Though if you need more time you can apply for another 3 months paid leave. Also Father's get 2 weeks paternity leave here.

[@ariacardwell1033]

I felt this in my soul. I was allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, and since I was hugely pregnant I decided to go out around 38 weeks. My daughter did not arrive until 41.5 weeks, at which point our finances were dwindling. I knew I didn't have much time until I'd be financially forced to return to work. My husband was able to take 3 weeks home with me, by stitching together all his time off and taking it in bulk. I returned to work 6 weeks after her birth, exhausted, in postpartum depression, getting up multiple times in the middle of the night to care for her or pump milk, having to use all my breaks at work to pump milk as well. I was an emotional wreck and missed my daughter terribly, crying often and not really getting much done at work. I wish I could have stayed home with her longer.

[@Staremperor]

Czech Republic here says: maternity leave starts a month before estimated birth date. First six months after birth maternity leave is covered by employer (mother gets like 60 - 70 % of salary), next two to three and half years the leave is covered by state in form of "parental allowance" - fixed amount of money (220 000 CZK -> 9 290 USD) regardless of length of leave. It's not huge amount of money, but it surely helps a lot. Afterwards mother has guaranteed a place at her former job (not necessarily the same position, but job nonetheless) And businesses are fine, it's not choking them.

[@dmdjt]

@Puglous you are funny.... somehow. when you would have used your brain, you would never conclude a realation between czech republics GDP and how it treats its mothers. just look at any other european state and you will find varying GDPs, but pretty much the same regulations regarding paid family leave. there is no correlation.

[@tifforo1]

If that law was passed in the U.S., employers would just find a way to get people to work for them without actually hiring workers. It's hard for young professionals in the U.S. to find employment even if they can find work. Everything is unstable contract gigs.

[@JihanePunk]

This is such a shame for a country that claims to be the best. Even third world countries are doing better in this area.

[@falconJB]

+Jihane Punk We want people to have fewer kids not more why should we encourage and subsidize people having more kids.

[@bluescluessuperagent]

+Jeremiah B and yet every other major country in the world does it. Canada and UK and Germany and Australia sure are losers now that they subsidize people having more kids. And what about just one kid. If a household needs both incomes to survive, then what? They are just fresh out of luck? Poop people shouldn't have kids?

[@falconJB]

bluescluessuperagent Most people shouldn't have kids, and just because every other country wants more of them doesn't mean we have to.

[@cap6741]

+Jeremiah B is fat and and ugly

[@WarEagleGaming]

We don't claim to be the best. Most people know that there are a lot of things that need to be fixed in this country. But saying we are the worst is a pretty bold statement. People from other countries tend to only look at the bad things we have done.

[@hannahkat9722]

Every time John says “mom” a little part of me dies inside

[@lucianoag999]

Germany 2020. 14 Months payed leave for the mother and father together (they decide how to split it, at least 2 month one of them) and up to three years unpaid leave.

[@alexisrivera200xable]

Like many social issues worth addressing it all gets bogged down by politicians being overly protective of the greedy businesses that finance their campaigns... Shocking isn't it?

[@Impetuss]

Indeed, almost every issue the US has boils down to money. Most corrupt first world country

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Maybe study basic economics? Businesses cannot afford to be greedy in a competitive market. That's why Walmart where I live pays $12.50 even though minimum wage is $7.25. If paid parental leave is important to you, don't sign up to work for someone who isn't offering it. I don't want to be on call, so I don't sign up for a job that requires me to be on call. I don't cry that businesses are greedy for putting their employees on call and force all businesses to conform to my desires.

[@DeeJayFM]

@@Dennis-nc3vw But shouldn't all jobs give moms paid leave?

[@lynxaway]

@Dennis Nice of you to imply that other working people are just too shortsighted or stupid to research their job positions. Also nice of you to imply that the blame should be put on the mothers who suffer because they can’t recover and be with their children after birth. The blame is NOT on them. Here’s a tip: stop idolizing businesses (sorry to say it, but they don’t care about you) and start showing compassion toward your fellow human beings. Maternity leave is not a # hot debate in any other country in the world for good reason.

[@rickardkaufman3988]

@@lynxaway In my third- world country, maternity leave is not an issue. Why is that America, no.1 largest global economy is the only country in the Western world that can't afford to pay maternity leave while America's neighbors have already done so? It's just basic fearmongering and ignorance. In the 1950s, Americans said racial integration and universal healthcare aka socialized medicine was communism despite their own neighbors like the UK establishing those ideas with little pushback.

[@Silverbleedy]

In my country, we can even have a maternity nurse to help us for the first 10 days in our homes. We're entitled to at least 16 weeks maternity leave. Unfortunately the fathers only receive two days, which is currently a subject. In my opinion, two days is way too short for such a change in your life. They deserve at least one or two weeks in my eyes. Having a baby is HUGE. I cannot even imagine what these women in the US are going through. Not even to mention the effect it has on the body, it's not like everything goes back to normal the next day... I had no idea, it's really sad.

[@TheYasmineFlower]

+Silverbleedy In my country, it's somewhere around 14 months, maternity and paternity leave. Most couples I hear of split it - at least one male teacher at my school took paternity leave. (We had an epidemy of childbirth among the teachers)

[@Silverbleedy]

TheYasmineFlower It would be great if it could be split between both parents where I live. They should equally have a chance to spend time with their newborn, to create a good start with their new family c:

[@leslieblanco3536]

+Silverbleedy Sad because dads should also get paternity leave. It takes 2 people to create a child, and fathers are overlooked for doing their jobs in being dads. At least 2 weeks I agree. Moms need help too.

[@leslieblanco3536]

+Silverbleedy like we need equality in this.

[@Silverbleedy]

***** That's fantastic c: We also get help to pay for the daycare so the parents can get back to work. In our country it's much more expensive tho but it should cover a good amount of the costs.

[@AlexCio]

we live in such a strange world! thanks for raising awareness! 🙂👌

I'm turning 30 years of age, when I was born my mother could only be with me for 1 month because she took vacations to be able to take care of me, otherwise she couldn't. Her work didn't let mothers be with their babies. It was like that for decades, and I wasn't born in USA or Papua New Guinea, I was born in Portugal. Nowadays things have changed but still, mothers can't be with their children for too long or lose their jobs, it's not like in Scotland that they give mothers 2 years to stay with their babies.

[@PUREspeedpwnd]

Wow I had no idea south Canada was this behind on basic civil rights?

[@carultch]

+Nikola Milutinovic Since when is it a civil right to be entitled to receiving someone else's money for not working?

[@PUREspeedpwnd]

I was mildy joking if only you could take a joke. You obviously dont have kids or siblings. Any self respecting civilized country should have maternity leave and in some instances paternity leave at the very least.

[@LPyourplay]

+carultch see the universal declaration of human rights

[@MyName_Jeff]

Gross

[@elizabethhicks4181]

South Canada oh god please... Don't insult Canada by associating us with them.

[@zaclaster560]

My daughter was born. I HAD to go to work. The next day (24 hours) My son was born on a Friday. I couldn't take off Monday I had to be there. Why? My wife called me from home telling me how much pain she was in. But I wasn't allowed any time to help her adjust. My job was on the line and she wasn't working. I had to put my wife through this pay bills it ain't right

[@elivogel388]

10:50 OMG, that's Amy from Superstore. Too perfect.

[@V8SupersQirreL]

I proudly present the "Mutterschutz" in Germany, four weeks before and eight weeks after birth the women gets paid. On top you get "Elterngeld" for one year, you can choose if the mother or the father gets paid between 300€ and 1800€ per month for the time to take care of your baby. I loved it!

[@tilmaneichfelder4090]

We have family leave for both genders in Germany. No wolves in the streets yet (it's been a few years). Fingers crossed...

[@janethockey9070]

Tilman Eichfelder The refugees are allegedly going to cause that.

[@courgette3401]

Same in U.K. Things have only got better for youngsters. No women are prejudiced against because it may be their partners that take most of the time off.

[@Morboxx]

@Kaleb Kurian Well, by now we had the chance of getting it ourselves and that wasn't too bad. Still no wolves, though, would've been interesting.

[@lolbored801]

And we're supposed to be the leader of the free world? lol

[@jeova0sanctus0unus]

Sure, but in Capitalistic societies "Freedom" means nothing but "Help yourself or nobody will"

[@ruipires2482]

Only americans think that

[@morelbel]

Laws are easily enough broken and re-written in favor of the corrupt. If the "social contract" really gets blown out the window, you get rampant corruption and civil wars, and then either people learn to live together or they go extinct.

[@phiguchi7889]

+Joseph Lau you clearly don't have kids. So I guess every other country in the world aside from the US and Papua New Guinea are a bunch of commie lame-os. Yeah, that must be it...

[@TheYasmineFlower]

+Joseph Lau If you are that rich that you hate all who aren't, why don't you just fuck your money and leave people who matter to this society alone?

[@ThoughtfulPotato]

Suddenly makes me so so happy about the fact that here in India, we have pretty good paid maternity leave in most workplaces. My former employer offered awesome maternity benefits: - An ergonomic workspace from the day one applies for maternity leave. - 1 month work from home before the paid leave starts and 1 month of reduced working hours before that. - 6 months paid leave (2 months compulsory) Also, one had the option for 1 month of work from home after the end of the paid leave if wanted. I had several other issues with the place and wanted to quit but this was actually one of the reasons I stayed on for 6 months longer despite the fact that I was nowhere close to planning a family...

[@philosophyknits1969]

This episode resonates with me. I was employed as a high school teacher when I had my second child at the beginning of the school year. The only option that I had was to use all of my sick days I had accumulated over my short career at that point and then take the rest of the time as unpaid leave since they, the county I worked for, would not let me come back to work until I was medically cleared by my doctor to go back to work. So, I had to go for a little time before I received a paycheck again for working as a teacher since part of my "maternity leave" was unpaid.

[@GamerMcBaggin]

this is heart breaking

[@gemmarealmilka]

It actually made me cry. We have 9 months paid maternity leave to share with fathers in Norway, and I can't imagine any "civilized" country would have such ordeal as USA has...

[@InorganicVegan]

Typical. We say we love moms, but all we offer are empty words, smiles, and flower pots.

[@sterlingwilson9830]

Diana Peña Sounds like you've got some work to do.

[@FTW3152]

gemmarealmilka Holy shit, why is it so long?

[@soag87]

Just an FYI if you read the comments section: Puglous and Dennis M are more than likely aliases for the same person. Same grammatical style, similar types of spelling errors, use of caps, etc. The big give-away was the use of "unimpeachable fuck" by "both" authors. :)

[@abcdefgold]

+soag87 haha I was just thinking this, plus they're both copying & pasting the same stuff on different comments :,D

[@Clomwellschimdt]

+ellensarah dey is trolls

[@jaypao8203]

Thank you :D

[@doreendklutz6400]

Thank you John Oliver. This issue has lately preoccupied me so much, and disheartened me. I was telling my mentor teacher here in PA about my niece in Uganda who went back to work leaving her newly born child only after three months of paid maternity leave. Then she broke the bomb, she is not guaranteed maternity leave...not even unpaid. This, in a country that is umpteen centuries old, and boast of existing among the "developed/industrialized." And we are talking about a school system, K-12, that does not recognize its most precious asset --female teachers who are the majority of the education system! Note, only the US of A, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea do not offer paid maternity leave out of 184 countries surveyed by the UN! Despicable!

[@cbpd89]

When I had my first child, we had no form of maternity/paternity leave. I was lucky that we didn't need my income, so I stayed home. My husband was able to take off maybe a week as he was new at his job. Three years later, we got 3 weeks of paid leave. We used vacation days to get us to Thanksgiving, parental leave to get us to Christmas, and between the leave, vacation days, and the holidays were able to both be home for a total of 6 weeks. Do I need mention which experience left me feeling healthier? Which was better for our family? It's not like Dad gets to sleep through the night with newborns. I needed help so my body could recover and he needed to get some extra sleep too. Our family is better for it and work performance didn't suffer at all. Family leave is hugely beneficial, even when it's only a few weeks. A few months would be miraculous.