Bryce Covert explains why a "quarter of all 'poverty spells'—falling into poverty for two months or more at a time—begin with the birth of a child":
Less than half of the country’s private-sector workers are covered by [the Family and Medical Leave Act], which may explain why over a quarter of all workers—in situations similar to [Sonya] Underwood’s—either quit or are let go of their jobs when they need to take leave. Of course, employers are free to be more generous with paid leave, but a recent report from the National Partnership for Women & Families found that many employers cut back over the past decade. Almost 30 percent of employers offered paid leave for new mothers in 1998; only 16 percent did in 2008.
The Dish 