TEDxSMU
Jessica Shortall: The US needs paid family leave -- for the sake of its future
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We need women to work, and we need working women to have babies. So why is America one of the only countries in the world that offers no national paid leave to new working mothers? In this incisive talk, Jessica Shortall makes the impassioned case that the reality of new working motherhood in America is both hidden and horrible: millions of women, every year, are forced back to work within just weeks of giving birth. Her idea worth spreading: the time has come for us to recognize the economic, physical and psychological costs of our approach to working mothers and their babies, and to secure our economic future by providing paid leave to all working parents.
Jessica Shortall - Strategy consultant, social entrepreneur and author
Jessica Shortall is a working mom of two and author of Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work. Full bio
Jessica Shortall is a working mom of two and author of Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
What does a working mother look like?
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If you ask the Internet,
this is what you'll be told.
this is what you'll be told.
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Never mind that this is
what you'll actually produce
what you'll actually produce
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if you attempt to work at a computer
with a baby on your lap.
with a baby on your lap.
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(Laughter)
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But no, this isn't a working mother.
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You'll notice a theme in these photos.
We'll look at a lot of them.
We'll look at a lot of them.
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That theme is amazing natural lighting,
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which, as we all know,
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is the hallmark
of every American workplace.
of every American workplace.
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There are thousands of images like these.
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Just put the term "working mother"
into any Google image search engine,
into any Google image search engine,
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stock photo site.
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They're all over the Internet,
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they're topping
blog posts and news pieces,
blog posts and news pieces,
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and I've become kind of obsessed with them
and the lie that they tell us
and the lie that they tell us
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and the comfort that they give us,
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that when it comes
to new working motherhood in America,
to new working motherhood in America,
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everything's fine.
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01:07
But it's not fine.
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01:08
As a country, we are sending
millions of women back to work
millions of women back to work
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every year, incredibly
and kind of horrifically soon
and kind of horrifically soon
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01:16
after they give birth.
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01:17
That's a moral problem
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but today I'm also going to tell you
why it's an economic problem.
why it's an economic problem.
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I got so annoyed and obsessed
with the unreality of these images,
with the unreality of these images,
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which look nothing like my life,
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that I recently decided to shoot and star
in a parody series of stock photos
in a parody series of stock photos
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that I hoped the world would start to use
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just showing the really awkward reality
of going back to work
of going back to work
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when your baby's food source
is attached to your body.
is attached to your body.
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I'm just going to show you two of them.
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(Laughter)
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Nothing says "Give that girl a promotion"
like leaking breast milk
like leaking breast milk
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through your dress during a presentation.
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01:55
You'll notice that there's
no baby in this photo,
no baby in this photo,
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because that's not how this works,
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not for most working mothers.
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02:02
Did you know, and this will ruin your day,
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that every time a toilet is flushed,
its contents are aerosolized
its contents are aerosolized
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and they'll stay airborne for hours?
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And yet, for many new working mothers,
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this is the only place during the day
that they can find to make food
that they can find to make food
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for their newborn babies.
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I put these things,
a whole dozen of them, into the world.
a whole dozen of them, into the world.
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I wanted to make a point.
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I didn't know what I was also doing
was opening a door,
was opening a door,
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because now, total strangers
from all walks of life
from all walks of life
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write to me all the time
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just to tell me what it's like
for them to go back to work
for them to go back to work
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within days or weeks of having a baby.
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I'm going to share
10 of their stories with you today.
10 of their stories with you today.
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They are totally real,
some of them are very raw,
some of them are very raw,
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and not one of them
looks anything like this.
looks anything like this.
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Here's the first.
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"I was an active duty
service member at a federal prison.
service member at a federal prison.
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I returned to work after the maximum
allowed eight weeks for my C-section.
allowed eight weeks for my C-section.
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A male coworker was annoyed
that I had been out on 'vacation,'
that I had been out on 'vacation,'
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so he intentionally opened the door on me
while I was pumping breast milk
while I was pumping breast milk
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and stood in the doorway
with inmates in the hallway."
with inmates in the hallway."
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Most of the stories that these women,
total strangers, send to me now,
total strangers, send to me now,
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are not actually even about breastfeeding.
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A woman wrote to me to say,
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"I gave birth to twins and went back
to work after seven unpaid weeks.
to work after seven unpaid weeks.
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Emotionally, I was a wreck.
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Physically, I had a severe hemorrhage
during labor, and major tearing,
during labor, and major tearing,
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so I could barely get up, sit or walk.
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My employer told me I wasn't allowed
to use my available vacation days
to use my available vacation days
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because it was budget season."
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I've come to believe that we can't look
situations like these in the eye
situations like these in the eye
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because then we'd be horrified,
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and if we get horrified
then we have to do something about it.
then we have to do something about it.
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So we choose to look at,
and believe, this image.
and believe, this image.
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03:53
I don't really know
what's going on in this picture,
what's going on in this picture,
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because I find it weird
and slightly creepy.
and slightly creepy.
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03:58
(Laughter)
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Like, what is she doing?
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But I know what it tells us.
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04:05
It tells us that everything's fine.
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04:07
This working mother, all working mothers
and all of their babies, are fine.
and all of their babies, are fine.
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04:11
There's nothing to see here.
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04:13
And anyway, women have made a choice,
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so none of it's even our problem.
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04:19
I want to break this choice thing
down into two parts.
down into two parts.
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04:22
The first choice says
that women have chosen to work.
that women have chosen to work.
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04:25
So, that's not true.
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04:28
Today in America, women make up
47 percent of the workforce,
47 percent of the workforce,
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and in 40 percent of American households
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a woman is the sole
or primary breadwinner.
or primary breadwinner.
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04:38
Our paid work is a part, a huge part,
of the engine of this economy,
of the engine of this economy,
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and it is essential
for the engines of our families.
for the engines of our families.
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On a national level,
our paid work is not optional.
our paid work is not optional.
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Choice number two says that women
are choosing to have babies,
are choosing to have babies,
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so women alone should bear
the consequences of those choices.
the consequences of those choices.
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04:58
You know, that's one of those things
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that when you hear it in passing,
can sound correct.
can sound correct.
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I didn't make you have a baby.
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I certainly wasn't there
when that happened.
when that happened.
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But that stance
ignores a fundamental truth,
ignores a fundamental truth,
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which is that our procreation
on a national scale is not optional.
on a national scale is not optional.
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The babies that women, many of them
working women, are having today,
working women, are having today,
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will one day fill our workforce,
protect our shores,
protect our shores,
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make up our tax base.
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Our procreation
on a national scale is not optional.
on a national scale is not optional.
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These aren't choices.
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05:32
We need women to work.
We need working women to have babies.
We need working women to have babies.
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So we should make
doing those things at the same time
doing those things at the same time
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at least palatable, right?
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OK, this is pop quiz time:
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what percentage of working
women in America do you think
women in America do you think
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have no access to paid maternity leave?
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88 percent.
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88 percent of working mothers
will not get one minute of paid leave
will not get one minute of paid leave
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after they have a baby.
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So now you're thinking about unpaid leave.
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It exists in America.
It's called FMLA. It does not work.
It's called FMLA. It does not work.
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Because of the way it's structured,
all kinds of exceptions,
all kinds of exceptions,
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half of new mothers are ineligible for it.
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06:12
Here's what that looks like.
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"We adopted our son.
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When I got the call, the day he was born,
I had to take off work.
I had to take off work.
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06:22
I had not been there long enough
to qualify for FMLA,
to qualify for FMLA,
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so I wasn't eligible for unpaid leave.
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When I took time off
to meet my newborn son,
to meet my newborn son,
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I lost my job."
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These corporate stock photos
hide another reality, another layer.
hide another reality, another layer.
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Of those who do have access
to just that unpaid leave,
to just that unpaid leave,
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most women can't afford
to take much of it at all.
to take much of it at all.
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A nurse told me, "I didn't qualify
for short-term disability
for short-term disability
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because my pregnancy
was considered a preexisting condition.
was considered a preexisting condition.
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We used up all of our tax returns
and half of our savings
and half of our savings
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during my six unpaid weeks.
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We just couldn't manage any longer.
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Physically it was hard,
but emotionally it was worse.
but emotionally it was worse.
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I struggled for months
being away from my son."
being away from my son."
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So this decision
to go back to work so early,
to go back to work so early,
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it's a rational economic decision
driven by family finances,
driven by family finances,
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but it's often physically horrific
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because putting a human
into the world is messy.
into the world is messy.
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A waitress told me,
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"With my first baby, I was back
at work five weeks postpartum.
at work five weeks postpartum.
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With my second, I had to have
major surgery after giving birth,
major surgery after giving birth,
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so I waited until six weeks to go back.
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I had third degree tears."
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23 percent of new
working mothers in America
working mothers in America
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will be back on the job
within two weeks of giving birth.
within two weeks of giving birth.
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"I worked as a bartender and cook,
average of 75 hours a week while pregnant.
average of 75 hours a week while pregnant.
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I had to return to work
before my baby was a month old,
before my baby was a month old,
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working 60 hours a week.
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One of my coworkers was only able
to afford 10 days off with her baby."
to afford 10 days off with her baby."
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Of course, this isn't just a scenario
with economic and physical implications.
with economic and physical implications.
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Childbirth is, and always will be,
an enormous psychological event.
an enormous psychological event.
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A teacher told me,
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"I returned to work
eight weeks after my son was born.
eight weeks after my son was born.
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I already suffer from anxiety,
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but the panic attacks I had prior
to returning to work were unbearable."
to returning to work were unbearable."
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Statistically speaking,
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the shorter a woman's leave
after having a baby,
after having a baby,
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the more likely she will be to suffer
from postpartum mood disorders
from postpartum mood disorders
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like depression and anxiety,
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and among many potential
consequences of those disorders,
consequences of those disorders,
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suicide is the second
most common cause of death
most common cause of death
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in a woman's first year postpartum.
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Heads up that this next story --
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I've never met this woman,
but I find it hard to get through.
but I find it hard to get through.
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"I feel tremendous grief and rage
that I lost an essential,
that I lost an essential,
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irreplaceable and formative
time with my son.
time with my son.
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Labor and delivery
left me feeling absolutely broken.
left me feeling absolutely broken.
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For months, all I remember
is the screaming: colic, they said.
is the screaming: colic, they said.
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On the inside, I was drowning.
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Every morning, I asked myself
how much longer I could do it.
how much longer I could do it.
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I was allowed to bring my baby to work.
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I closed my office door
while I rocked and shushed
while I rocked and shushed
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and begged him to stop screaming
so I wouldn't get in trouble.
so I wouldn't get in trouble.
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I hid behind that office door
every damn day
every damn day
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and cried while he screamed.
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I cried in the bathroom
while I washed out the pump equipment.
while I washed out the pump equipment.
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Every day, I cried all the way to work
and all the way home again.
and all the way home again.
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I promised my boss that the work
I didn't get done during the day,
I didn't get done during the day,
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I'd make up at night from home.
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I thought, there's just something
wrong with me that I can't swing this."
wrong with me that I can't swing this."
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So those are the mothers.
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What of the babies?
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As a country, do we care
about the millions of babies
about the millions of babies
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born every year to working mothers?
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I say we don't,
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not until they're of working
and tax-paying and military-serving age.
and tax-paying and military-serving age.
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We tell them we'll see them in 18 years,
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and getting there is kind of on them.
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One of the reasons I know this
is that babies whose mothers
is that babies whose mothers
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have 12 or more weeks at home with them
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are more likely to get their vaccinations
and their well checks in their first year,
and their well checks in their first year,
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so those babies are more protected
from deadly and disabling diseases.
from deadly and disabling diseases.
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10:11
But those things are hidden
behind images like this.
behind images like this.
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America has a message for new mothers
who work and for their babies.
who work and for their babies.
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Whatever time you get together,
you should be grateful for it,
you should be grateful for it,
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and you're an inconvenience
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to the economy and to your employers.
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That narrative of gratitude
runs through a lot of the stories I hear.
runs through a lot of the stories I hear.
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A woman told me,
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"I went back at eight weeks
after my C-section
after my C-section
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because my husband was out of work.
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Without me, my daughter
had failure to thrive.
had failure to thrive.
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She wouldn't take a bottle.
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She started losing weight.
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Thankfully, my manager
was very understanding.
was very understanding.
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He let my mom bring my baby,
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who was on oxygen and a monitor,
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four times a shift so I could nurse her."
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There's a little club
of countries in the world
of countries in the world
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that offer no national
paid leave to new mothers.
paid leave to new mothers.
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Care to guess who they are?
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The first eight make up eight million
in total population.
in total population.
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They are Papua New Guinea,
Suriname and the tiny island nations
Suriname and the tiny island nations
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of Micronesia, Marshall Islands,
Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tonga.
Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tonga.
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Number nine is
the United States of America,
the United States of America,
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with 320 million people.
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Oh, that's it.
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That's the end of the list.
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Every other economy on the planet
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has found a way to make some level
of national paid leave work
of national paid leave work
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for the people doing the work
of the future of those countries,
of the future of those countries,
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but we say,
"We couldn't possibly do that."
"We couldn't possibly do that."
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We say that the market
will solve this problem,
will solve this problem,
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and then we cheer when corporations
offer even more paid leave to the women
offer even more paid leave to the women
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who are already the highest-educated
and highest-paid among us.
and highest-paid among us.
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Remember that 88 percent?
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Those middle- and low-income women
are not going to participate in that.
are not going to participate in that.
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We know that there are staggering
economic, financial, physical
economic, financial, physical
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and emotional costs to this approach.
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We have decided --
decided, not an accident,
decided, not an accident,
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to pass these costs directly
on to working mothers and their babies.
on to working mothers and their babies.
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We know the price tag is higher
for low-income women,
for low-income women,
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therefore disproportionately
for women of color.
for women of color.
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We pass them on anyway.
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All of this is to America's shame.
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But it's also to America's risk.
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Because what would happen
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if all of these individual
so-called choices to have babies
so-called choices to have babies
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started to turn into individual choices
not to have babies.
not to have babies.
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One woman told me,
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"New motherhood is hard.
It shouldn't be traumatic.
It shouldn't be traumatic.
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When we talk about expanding
our family now,
our family now,
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we focus on how much time I would have
to care for myself and a new baby.
to care for myself and a new baby.
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If we were to have to do it again
the same way as with our first,
the same way as with our first,
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we might stick with one kid."
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The birthrate needed in America
to keep the population stable
to keep the population stable
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is 2.1 live births per woman.
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In America today, we are at 1.86.
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We need women to have babies,
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and we are actively disincentivizing
working women from doing that.
working women from doing that.
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What would happen to work force,
to innovation, to GDP,
to innovation, to GDP,
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if one by one, the working mothers
of this country were to decide
of this country were to decide
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that they can't bear
to do this thing more than once?
to do this thing more than once?
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I'm here today with only
one idea worth spreading,
one idea worth spreading,
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and you've guessed what it is.
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It is long since time
for the most powerful country on Earth
for the most powerful country on Earth
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to offer national paid leave
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to the people doing the work
of the future of this country
of the future of this country
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and to the babies
who represent that future.
who represent that future.
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Childbirth is a public good.
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This leave should be state-subsidized.
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It should have no exceptions
for small businesses,
for small businesses,
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length of employment or entrepreneurs.
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It should be able
to be shared between partners.
to be shared between partners.
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I've talked today a lot about mothers,
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but co-parents matter on so many levels.
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Not one more woman
should have to go back to work
should have to go back to work
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while she is hobbling and bleeding.
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14:13
Not one more family should have
to drain their savings account
to drain their savings account
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to buy a few days
of rest and recovery and bonding.
of rest and recovery and bonding.
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Not one more fragile infant
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should have to go directly
from the incubator to day care
from the incubator to day care
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because his parents have used up
all of their meager time
all of their meager time
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sitting in the NICU.
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Not one more working family
should be told that the collision
should be told that the collision
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of their work, their needed work
and their needed parenthood,
and their needed parenthood,
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is their problem alone.
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The catch is that when this is happening
to a new family, it is consuming,
to a new family, it is consuming,
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and a family with a new baby
is more financially vulnerable
is more financially vulnerable
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than they've ever been before,
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14:49
so that new mother cannot afford
to speak up on her own behalf.
to speak up on her own behalf.
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14:53
But all of us have voices.
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I am done, done having babies,
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and you might be pre-baby,
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15:01
you might be post-baby,
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you might be no baby.
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It should not matter.
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15:06
We have to stop framing this
as a mother's issue,
as a mother's issue,
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15:08
or even a women's issue.
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15:10
This is an American issue.
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15:14
We need to stop buying the lie
that these images tell us.
that these images tell us.
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15:17
We need to stop being comforted by them.
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15:20
We need to question
why we're told that this can't work
why we're told that this can't work
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15:22
when we see it work
everywhere all over the world.
everywhere all over the world.
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We need to recognize
that this American reality
that this American reality
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is to our dishonor and to our peril.
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15:33
Because this is not,
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15:35
this is not,
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and this is not
what a working mother looks like.
what a working mother looks like.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jessica Shortall - Strategy consultant, social entrepreneur and authorJessica Shortall is a working mom of two and author of Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work.
Why you should listen
What do breastfeeding and paid leave for working mothers, sustainable eye care, hunger, green investing, giving shoes and the business case for LGBT equality have in common?
For Jessica Shortall, they have all been opportunities to change the world: challenges that need sustainable solutions and require a deep understanding of market forces, audiences, and cultures. They all require an intense dive into data, and they all benefit from powerful storytelling.
Shortall has provided strategy consulting to dozens of businesses, social enterprises, non-profit organizations and campaigns in the US, UK and beyond. Her first book, Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom's Guide to Surviving Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work, was inspired by her own experiences of circumnavigating the globe with a breast pump. She interviewed hundreds of working mothers and dozens of HR professionals to create a practical, relatable, judgment-free guide for women who want to try to continue breastfeeding after they've returned to work.
Shortall started her adult life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and she haven't stopped searching for ways to change the world since, across non-profit and for-profit worlds. In the early 2000s, she co-founded and franchised a non-profit organization that is now active in more than 40 communities. In 2006, she received an MBA with honors from the University of Oxford, as a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship. She went on to spend three years providing consulting services to social entrepreneurs. From 2009 to 2014, she was the first Director of Giving at TOMS Shoes, hired to build out the now-iconic One for One giving mission and strategy.
She currently lives in Dallas, TX with her husband Clay and her two children.
Jessica Shortall | Speaker | TED.com