Current location:Earth Examination news portal > sport
Are America's paternity rights moving BACKWARDS? Major law firm quietly cuts leave for new parents
Earth Examination news portal2024-05-21 15:41:26【sport】7People have gathered around
IntroductionA major law firm has quietly cut the amount of paternity leave it offers the majority of its attorne
A major law firm has quietly cut the amount of paternity leave it offers the majority of its attorneys by six weeks amidst widespread industry layoffs.
Non-partners at global firm DLA Piper are now eligible for just 12 weeks of paternal leave, down from 18 and less than the 16-week average of most major law firms.
However, birth mothers will have an additional six weeks of leave.
It comes as law firms engage in a jobs bloodbath and hiring freezes sparked by economic uncertainty.
In a statement, communications director Geneva Dawn Youel said the firm had to 'strike a balance' between offering staff competitive benefits while ensuring client work is properly covered.
Non-partners at global firm DLA Piper are now eligible for just 12 weeks of paternal leave, down from 18 and less than the 16-week average of most major law firms.
In a statement, communications director Geneva Dawn Youel (pictured) said the firm had to 'strike a balance' between offering staff competitive benefits while ensuring client work is properly covered
Businesses rarely cut such benefits as they are a crucial pillar of staff recruitment and retention.
But widespread hiring freezes and layoffs have hit the legal sector. Hiring across the industry fell 35 percent in 2023 compared to the year prior, according to a report by the National Association for Law Placement.
Slashing paternity benefits could therefore be seen as a cost-cutting measure to avoid layoffs, Axios reports.
Youel told the outlet: 'As a law firm, our top priority is to provide consistent, exceptional client service.
'To meet that goal, we need to strike a balance of providing our lawyers competitive benefits while also ensuring that the firm has proper coverage of client matters. We have done so here.'
DailyMail.com reached out to DLA Piper for comment.
Experts hit out at the decision as it would hinder their ability to recruit more staff.
Hilarie Bass, former co-president of Greenberg Traurig and former head of the American Bar Association told Axios: 'I think it's a really short-sighted approach. I think it's going to hurt them competitively in the recruiting world.'
Writing for Above the Law, Kathryn Rubino said: 'This is absolutely the kind of thing associates leave firms over — because even if they aren't immediately impacted by the change.
'It shows how little the firm actually cares about their non-partner attorneys.'
A 2022 study shows that the number of organizations offering paid maternity leave dropped 35 percent in that year. It had fallen 53 percent from the pandemic in 2020.
In April, the participation rate of women in the workforce reached a record high of 77.5 percent, surpassing a peak reached in 2000
The findings, from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), found the proportion of companies offering paid paternity leave similarly fell from 44 percent to 27 percent.
More companies cutting the benefit risks reversing historic gains made by women in the workplace.
Last year the number of women in the US workforce reached its highest level ever, smashing a record set in 2000.
The data, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed gains had been driven by a rise in working mothers.
Some 73 percent of women with children under 18 were either employed or looking for employment.
The trend was triggered by a pandemic-induced shift towards hybrid and remote working which made it easier for mothers to balance childcare duties with their careers.
Address of this article:http://saudiarabia.lochsaege.com/article-97a199869.html
Very good!(3733)
Related articles
- Lynn Williams breaks NWSL goal
- Buffalo Sabres promote minor
- South Carolina governor happy with tax cuts, teacher raises but wants health and energy bills done
- New drivers face six
- Tom Brady and Jay
- Questions and grief linger at the apartment door where a deputy killed a US airman
- Hairdresser introduces chat
- Lithuania elections: Incumbent president Nausėda wins first round of election
- Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star
- Mother of three Helen Ryvar uses early morning routine to become record
Popular articles
Recommended
The fightback begins: Boss of London's Queen Mary University tells pro
Chad's opposition leader challenges the results of the presidential elections
Crackdown on killer boy racers: Partner of pregnant Hollyoaks star Frankie Jules
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Voters across 96 constituencies cast vote in fourth round
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Kentucky angler nabs a 200
I'm a forensic researcher who studies rapists
New drivers face six
Links
- Ant McPartlin and his pregnant wife Anne
- Xi meets Russian foreign minister
- New toad species found in south China
- Chinese experts showcase new seed varieties, technology at Uganda agricultural exhibition
- Chinese geoscientists set new record on shelf coring
- New toad species found in south China
- Chinese Embassy lashes out at U.S. over harassing Chinese citizens at border
- Boston reliever Kenley Jansen says slick baseballs hard to control
- Enhanced technology ensures safety and efficiency of Chinese NEVs
- Chinese experts showcase new seed varieties, technology at Uganda agricultural exhibition