[leenie71]

Wow, I'm thinking about getting a part-time job at Wendy's too lol.

I work for the federal government and I was disappointed to learn that there is no adoption assistance or paid leave for adoption (there isn't for maternity either). We have to use accrued vacation and sick time. Of course, I do have FMLA....there is currently a bill the Democrats are trying to get through for 4 weeks paid leave.

[CarolinaWife]

So, I just started a new job (3 months ago) that recently changed its policy from only having Short-Term Disability for women who give birth to giving eight weeks of fully paid maternity leave... But you guessed it, didn't you - it only applies to women who give birth.

I suppose I should be thankful that they offer $3,000 and two weeks of paid leave for adoptive parents.

New fathers also get two weeks of paid leave.

If you ask me, this stinks. At my previous job, there was no maternity leave, only disability (up to 6 weeks for vaginal birth, 8 for c-section)... so it made sense to me that adoptive parents didn't get anything. But this company touts itself as a very 'family-friendly' workplace. The disparity between 8 and 2 weeks is $10,000 in gross pay for me.... and this difference in benefit is because of how I become a mother?

I never thought I'd consider leaving a job over something like this, but this policy really makes me feel like a second-class citizen - and that's not an environment I want to come to work in every day.

Has anyone been successful in helping your employer to see that there shouldn't be a difference in the maternity leave granted to women who give birth and women who adopt ??

[Lumpkin]

CarolinaWife, I don't get your beef with the policy (okay, I _get_ it, but I still don't see it as anything I'd personally bat an eye at). 8 weeks covers all of the normal medical time-off that comes with having a baby. My employer is similar, and also gives similar time-off for surgeries and such.

2 weeks for an adoption is pretty nifty! I'd think a birth mother would be sort of jealous to know that she may only get the recovery time associated with a major medical incident, but not the 2 weeks to spend entirely recuperated and bonding with the new child.

I only get 1 week for an adoption, plus all expenses up to $7500 per child paid. I am thinking maybe the 2 months of time-off that I've been saving might just get used up during that initial time after the adoption though