00:00In late March last year, 2016, I became a parent for the first time.
00:06I remember the indescribable and, as I understand it, pretty universal experience of holding my weak old son and feeling
00:15my priorities change on a cellular level.
00:18Like so many parents, I wondered how I was going to balance my work with my new role as parent.
00:23And in that moment, I remember that the statistic for the U.S.'s policy on maternity leave flashed in my
00:31mind.
00:32American women are currently entitled to 12 weeks unpaid leave.
00:37American men are entitled to nothing.
00:40That information landed differently for me when one week after my son's birth, I could barely walk.
00:48That information landed differently when I was getting to know a human who was completely dependent on my husband and
00:54I for everything.
00:55When I was dependent on my husband for most things.
00:58And when we were relearning everything we thought we knew about our family and our relationship.
01:04It landed differently.
01:15One in four American women go back to work two weeks after giving birth because they can't afford to take
01:22off any more time than that.
01:23That's 25% of American women.
01:27Equally disturbing, women who can afford to take a full 12 weeks often don't.
01:32Because it will mean incurring a motherhood penalty, meaning they will be perceived as less dedicated to their job and
01:38will be passed over for promotions and other career advancement.
01:42We need to help each other if we are going to grow.
