> I don't get why employers should be forced to pay for someone's choice to have children Discussions about the social obligations of "businesses" would benefi

> I don't get why employers should be forced to pay for someone's choice to have children Discussions about the social obligations of "businesses" would benefit to have distinctions made between the different kinds of businesses. A large profitable corporation with thousands of employees can probably provide paid maternity leave whereas paid maternity leave would put most small businesses and early stage startups out of business. I'm sympathetic to both sides of the argument. My mom lost a few years of seniority working at the phone company (GTE) in the 80s due to pregnancy, and as a result was often outbid on higher paying jobs for the rest of her working life. On the other hand, my current startup would have instantly folded if we had to cut paychecks for a non-working employee. I'm guessing the majority (by number) of businesses just cannot afford to offer paid maternity leave, and this needs to be acknowledged. There aren't simply "two sides" to this discussion.