In many countries women are allowed to take maternity leave from their jobs during the first months after the birth of their babies. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

It is customary practice in most countries to give women a few month of maternity leave after they give birth. To spend a few months away from work after giving birth, however, has disadvantages as well as advantages. To be sure, a newly-born baby is the one who benefits the most from the maternity leave. As we know, the first few months of a newborn’s life is always the most dangerous time, during which the baby faces many dangers, some quite unexpected, that may be life-threatening. Therefore, the concentrated and intensive care from the mother is critical for the survival of the baby. I have just read a newspaper report which compares the infant mortality rate between the countries which practice maternity leave and those which do not. The report concludes that infant death rate in the former is 25% lower than that in the latter. Besides, taking a few months off her work after the baby is born is also a good way to release the anxiety and stress the mother must have experienced during her pregnancy, so she will be more likely to fully recover before going back to work. Like anything else, maternity leave may also bring about some negative effects. In some female-dominated professions like nursing, the few months leave may cause a serious shortage of labour. And we have seen many women who simply cannot perform their jobs after long periods of leaves because they have totally forgotten how to do their job properly. Meanwhile, many women who use to be slender and beautiful have become unattractive after the few month of no work and overeating. Taking into account both the advantages and disadvantages, I believe maternity leave is a good thing. After all, the baby’s survival and the mother’s health are much more important than the possible side-effects of labour shortage, temporary forgetfulness of work and the possibility of over-eating. Besides, if the maternity leave is used wisely, the new mothers may just as well return to their work as energetic and beautiful as before.