Working Mother

Dear CEOs, Please Stop Saying Your Company 'Can't Afford' Paid Parental Leave

Paid parental leave continues to fall short on companies' list of priorities, and we are tired of it.

Pregnant Woman at Work

When your employers say they can't afford paid maternity leave, that is simply not the case.

Photo: iStock

In just a few weeks, the VP of sales of my 16-person startup company will begin her maternity leave—making her the official first employee at to take one. We are a small and scrappy startup: we walk our own checks to the bank; we work in a shared office space where we sometimes experience toilet paper shortages; and we share a communal laptop charger. But despite our commitment to cost control, my partner and I believe that paid is one expense we are willing to bear—happily.

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