America's family leave disgrace

What do Papua New Guinea, Oman and the United States of America have in common? They are the only 3 countries in the world with no paid maternity leave law. When you point out the deficiencies of the United States in this regard, somebody often replies, “This isn’t Scandinavia. We can’t impose cuddly capitalism” -- the MIT economist Daron Acemoglu’s phrase -- “and still enjoy economic growth.” Granted, we’re not Sweden, but neither are we Romania, Uganda, Bolivia or any of the 185 other countries that, according to a 2014 report from the UN’s Institute of Labor, provide their citizens with paid leave to care for a new child. Ninety-eight of those countries offer paid leave for 14 weeks or more. In his State of the Union address in January, U.S. President Barack Obama vowed to make family leave and sick days a priority in the final 2 years of his Presidency. He has work to do. In the United States, where all sorts of powers are commonly attributed to the private sector, many people might imagine that employers take up the slack. But the majority of U.S. employers do not offer paid family leave, for the simple reason that they don’t have to.