Teachers with no paid maternity leave struggle

We all know the value of teachers in our society. Even the person who has never liked school can name at least one teacher that has had some impact in their life and their advice sticks for a lifetime. However, teachers remain under appreciated in the United States - one of four countries in the world that does not mandate paid maternity leave.

The numbers show that 77% of public school teachers in the US are women. Yet, none of them are protected with a law that provides them a fully paid maternity leave. Many teachers are forced to accumulate and use sick days in order to take time off for their new born children, leaving them with no paid sick days left should they actually become ill. The result of such injustice is serious financial burden for our teachers and their families.

Many teachers are acting to change the system, which, they feel, categorizes “pregnancy as a disease.”