VOA常速英语2016--美国滞后的带薪产假在一些州取得进展（在线收听）

While US Lags on Paid Maternity Leave, Some States Make Progress 美国滞后的带薪产假在一些州取得进展

While the United States is the only developed country in the world that does not offer paid maternity leave for new mothers, both of the current Democratic presidential candidates support a national standard of 12 weeks of paid family leave. 

It’s not a new proposal, though. President Barack Obama called for it in his 2015 State of the Union address, but it drew quick opposition from some Republicans in Congress

It's not unusual in the United States for a new mother to quit her job after giving birth to a child.  Sam is only 9 months old, and his mother, Lora, dreaded the thought of going back to work.

在美国，母亲分娩后辞职的现象非常普遍。萨姆只有9个月大， 他的母亲劳拉非常害怕重返工作岗位。

"I got only six weeks with him, and it is just not enough time. We needed someone to take care of him, but the cost of day care in D.C. is high. I would not be bringing home enough money to cover day-care bills," she said.

“我只能照顾他六周的时间，根本就不够。我们需要有人照顾他，但是首都的日托费用非常高。我赚不到足够的钱来支付日托的费用。”

While the U.S. is nowhere close to a federal law that mandates paid maternity leave, some states are addressing the issue. A new law in New York assures new mothers 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. New Jersey covers 67 percent of six weeks of leave. California covers 55 percent of six weeks.  Rhode Island covers four weeks.

美国距离出台带薪产假的联邦法律还很遥远，不过一些州正在解决这一问题。纽约一部新的法律保障新生儿母亲有12周的带薪产假。新泽西州支付六周产假薪资的67%，加利福尼亚支付六周产假薪资的55%。罗得岛提供四周的带薪产假。

"If you live in those four states, you would be covered and eligible to have paid leave, but if you live in the rest of the USA, it really just depends on whether or not your employer voluntarily offers those benefits, since we do not have any national programs to provide wage replacement," said Sarah Jane Glynn from the Center for American Progress.

“如果你住在这四个州，你将享受带薪产假，但是如果你住在美国其他地方，这就取决于你的雇主是否自愿提供这些福利了，因为没有任何国家计划来提供薪资替代。”美国进步中心的Sarah Jane Glynn表示。

US law 'has not caught up'

美国法律落后

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders favor a national program that would allow new mothers to take 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. This is an improvement over the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act — which provides job-protected unpaid leave to government employees or those in private sector companies with 50 or more employees. But critics say that law covers only 60 percent of new mothers because only 60 percent of workers even qualify — and many new moms cannot afford to take time off.

民主党总统候选人希拉里·克林顿和伯尼·桑德斯支持一项国家项目，允许新生儿母亲享受12周的带薪产假。这是对1993年颁布的《家庭医疗休假法》做出的改进——为政府雇员或员工人数超过50人的私营公司雇员提供保护工作的无薪假期。但是批评家表示，该法律只保障了60%的新生儿母亲的权益，因为只有60%的工作人员有这个资格——许多新生母亲根本负担不起休假的成本。

"The U.S. has not caught up with the fact that most women today work. Our labor laws ... the majority were set a long time ago when families looked very different. Today the majority of women work, the majority of mothers work, even the majority of moms who have very young children are in the paid labor force," said Glynn.

“美国没有根据今天大部分母亲进入职场的形势与时俱进。我们的劳工法，大部分条款都是很久以前颁布的，那时的家庭与现在非常不同。今天，大部分女性工作，大部分母亲工作，甚至大部分孩子还非常幼小的母亲也必须工作来赚钱。”

Still, some companies do provide not only paid maternity leave but paid paternity leave as well.

然而，一些公司不仅提供带薪产假，甚至提供带薪陪产假。

New dad Joe is thrilled to have six weeks of paid leave.  

新爸爸乔很高兴能有六周的带薪陪产假。

"I think it is up to employers to pay or not, but the best employers are doing it now. It is good for the employee, which means it is good for the company," he said.

“我认为是否提供薪资取决于雇主，但是最好的雇主却这样做了。这对雇员有益，也就意味着对公司有益。”

Opponents of a paid family leave law say it’s bad for business because it’s too costly.

带薪家庭休假法的反对者表示，这对企业不利，因为成本太高了。

"Small businesses cannot afford to have that burden on them. Also, the small businesses cannot afford increases in taxes," said one.

“小企业难以承担这样的负担。小企业也难以承担税负的增加。”

But supporters of the idea say the cost of paid maternity leave is very low relative to the benefit to the family.

但是支持者表示，相对于给家庭带来的好处，带薪产假的成本是非常低的。