Women’s Healthcare Complications and Their Significance

By: Mission Heartbeat

The Advocacy for Women's Health

“74 countries do not have any legal provision that ensures mothers can return to the same jobs” (Agarwal, 2022). In order for mothers to feel comfortable taking time off work to care for their newborns, they would benefit from more maternal healthcare support. Around the globe, countries mandate different laws for family leave, with some requiring 12-14 weeks and others requiring none. It’s prevalent that countries ratify family leave policies because “[p]sychosocial work stress during pregnancy” can have negative effects (Karl, 2020). Unfortunately, parental leave is not endorsed in every country, such as the US, which is one of six developed countries that do not ratify family leave policies in companies. This is unfortunate because parental leave benefits are essential for the body to recover physically and mentally.

The mental health effects of postpartum are widely recognized as paramount, and employers need to consider this further before denying leave. When women receive parental leave for less than eight weeks, it can lead to “a reduction in overall health… and increased depression” (Coombs, 2021). Unfortunately, depression is just one of the many issues that come with being in the postpartum period. During the postpartum period, a mother can also experience complications such as “postpartum psychosis" or “baby blues", which refer to disorders where mothers face hormonal shifts causing sadness and feel disconnected from reality (Hetter, 2024). These are just some examples of potential effects that pregnancy can have on a woman, even possibly extending for years after the initial childbirth. To avoid this, employers should focus on giving mothers time to heal by providing paid time off. By taking this into consideration instead of denying parental leave, employers are avoiding being the cause of detrimental effects on mothers. Many pregnant and postpartum women in work also face work-privacy conflict (WPC), which is generally found in “women with depression". WPC is an issue that typically occurs when work and personal lives clash, causing stress in both environments. It has been recognized that "coaching sessions" actually reduce WPC (Karl, 2020). In order to lessen stress on employees, employers should begin offering coaching sessions within the workplace. Coaching sessions teach mothers how to manage work and personal lives within the workplace, and are especially convenient because women do not need to sacrifice extra time or money in order to receive healthcare. 

On top of physical and mental disadvantages, gender roles and policies around the world also present additional issues for women' s health. In the present day, women are usually both caretakers and workers, but this is not efficient because taking on “[b]oth roles at once can cause stress or depression" (Karl, 2020). This can also lead to more prevalent gender roles due to women prioritizing their family over their career, especially during periods of stress. Since times have changed, and women aren’t just caretakers anymore, policies need to be updated as well. Policies in the U.S. for “maternity leave benefits are very different" (Jahan, 2025), and “the U.S. is one of the only developed countries that doesn't mandate paid maternity leave" (Maven Team, 2023). Employers and policymakers need to take a look around the world and see the modernization happening all around us, where women should be treated equally to men. 

In conclusion, employers and policymakers need to recognize that supporting working mothers is essential for stronger families and greater productivity. The postpartum period comes with various physical and mental complications, in which mothers need adequate time to recover their well-being. By implementing comprehensive policies like paid family leave, flexible schedules, equal parental leave for mothers and fathers, and accessible, secure places to breastfeed, companies are able to demonstrate that they value their employees' health. These solutions not only reduce stress and improve mental health but also help parents return to work more focused and prepared. When employers prioritize parental well-being, they are also promoting gender equality and lessening gender roles in the workplace, which is significant since, currently, mothers in the workplace “are evaluated as less competent and less committed to their careers” compared to those without children (Torres, 2024, p. 4). Ultimately, expanding parental support policies benefits parents, especially mothers, and is an investment towards a more futuristic world.

Authors: Sai Deepali Puligada and Rishika Bommana

This article, written by Sai Deepali Puligada and Rishika Bommana, focuses on explaining the importance of employee consideration during women's postpartum period. An organization founded by the authors, Mission Heartbeat, aims to support women facing high risks of complications, and this is what inspired them to write this article. 

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Works Cited

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