Laura Bartz, Introduction, Question 5

In the introduction of Naked Economics, Charles Wheelan talks about how ignoring economics will be detrimental to you in the long run. He talks about how there have been proposals to have a longer required maternity leave. This at face value, as a woman, seems very positive. More time to let your body recover, more time to bond with your baby at the start of its life, and not having to immediately find a daycare option. These all seem wonderful until you realize that even if a woman does not desire to have children anytime soon or ever, she could be less likely to be hired because they employer knows that if she gets pregnant they will have to give paid maternity leave for an extended amount of time.