Initial post: Due Friday, 200 words minimum

View the two slideshows accessed through the links below.

Next, view the article below regarding maternity leave in the U.S.

For your initial discussion posting: Consider the ways in which a society can affect families. Give a brief overview of what you saw in the slides and what you learned in the article. 1. Based on this information, explain some of the ways in which a society can affect families, including marital relationships, parent and child relationships, family time, and childhood. 2. In your opinion, what role, if any, should the government play in helping families, and what role, if any, should employers play in helping employees balance work and family?


The family is the building blocks of the society, and strong families translate to a strong society. The interaction between the society and the family is interdependent, which means there are different ways in which the society affects families. One way is how the society cares for mothers, considering that women are an integral part of the workforce today. According to the United Nations, all mothers are entitled to a maternity leave (qtd. in Susanna). During this period, mothers are not only supposed to recuperate but also breastfeed and care for the infants during their first months of life.  While countries like Iceland and the Netherlands pay maternity leaves, the United States lags behind because it only entitles mothers to maternity leave, but without payment.  Iceland provides mothers and dads with five months paid maternity and paternity leave (Kurtz, “Best Countries”).  In the Netherlands, employers have less working hours and a flexible working schedule that allows a balance between family and work. Paternity leave is important because it helps the parents to share the physical and emotional burden of caring for the infant, and in the process, marital relationships and family bonds are strengthened. Extended maternity leave also gives the parents time to mold the childhood of their children.