Hadley Heath Manning understands the typical conservative arguments (involving costs and constitutionality) against federal government involvement in maternity leave. She also understands that nonconservatives reject those arguments. So her Washington Examiner column offers other reasons to reject a federal government role in addressing this issue.
Americans who believe that government maternity leave programs would improve their lives and help people in need are focused on just that: How would this affect people like me? The national budget and the Constitution are at best secondary considerations. …
… [T]his issue presents an opportunity for conservatives to explain the tradeoffs that come with government entitlement programs and explain how the real problem with government leave programs is that they won’t actually improve Americans’ lives. In fact, they could backfire on the very women they are intended to help.
A government takeover of maternity leave – whether it’s a mandate on employers or an entitlement program – would limit women’s opportunities and our freedoms. The best argument against government maternity leave is that it would come with serious downsides for women’s lives. And when women hear about an alternative, free-market solution, they prefer it to one-size-fits-all mandates.
In the case of maternity leave mandates, often proposed by Democrats, the result would be clear: If you force all employers to offer paid leave, some employers will be less likely to hire and promote women, as this requirement raises the cost of employing women. Mandates limit the flexibility of women to negotiate individualized compensation plans with their employers (and the majority of employers offer some form of paid leave benefits without a government mandate).
Trump’s proposal to use unemployment insurance to fund maternity leave is much less intrusive than the plans offered by Democrats. Even so, it represents a costly, government-centric solution to a problem that would be better solved by the private sector, where women are free to find the work-life balance that best suits their preferences, their family’s needs, and their budget.
Another alternative to one-size-fits-all government intervention would be to allow families to save tax-free for a family leave period. This type of savings account, called a “Personal Care Account” (PCA) is more popular with the public than government meddling in maternity leave.
