How America Fails New Parents — and Their Babies | Jessica Shortall | TED Talks

Translator: Luisa Iglesias Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

What does a working mother look like?

Como é unha nai traballadora?

If you ask the Internet, this is what you'll be told.

Se lle preguntan a Internet, esta é a resposta que terán.

Never mind that this is what you'll actually produce

Tanto ten se isto é o que escriben realmente

if you attempt to work at a computer with a baby on your lap.

se tentan traballar no ordenador cun neno no colo.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

But no, this isn't a working mother.

E non, esta non é unha nai traballadora.

You'll notice a theme in these photos. We'll look at a lot of them.

Percibirán un tema recorrente nestas fotos

That theme is amazing natural lighting,

ese tema é a marabillosa luz natural

which, as we all know,

que, como todos sabemos,

is the hallmark of every American workplace.

é a habitual en calquera lugar de traballo nos EUA.

There are thousands of images like these.

Hai miles de imaxes coma esta.

Just put the term "working mother" into any Google image search engine,

Abonda con escribir "nai traballadora" en calquera motor de busca

stock photo site.

ou galería de fotos.

They're all over the Internet,

Están por toda a Internet,

they're topping blog posts and news pieces,

encabezando entradas de blog e noticias,

and I've become kind of obsessed with them and the lie that they tell us

e estamos obsesionados con elas e a mentira que nos contan

and the comfort that they give us,

e a tranquilidade que nos dan

that when it comes to new working motherhood in America,

de que en relación coas novas nais traballadoras

everything's fine.

todo vai de marabilla.

But it's not fine.

Pero non vai de marabilla.

As a country, we are sending millions of women back to work

Como país, devolvemos ao traballo millóns de mulleres

every year, incredibly and kind of horrifically soon

cada ano, cunha rapidez incrible e terrible,

after they give birth.

despois de que dean a luz.

That's a moral problem

Este é un problema moral,

but today I'm also going to tell you why it's an economic problem.

pero hoxe quero explicar por que é tamén un problema económico.

I got so annoyed and obsessed with the unreality of these images,

Remato tan anoxada e obsesionada con estas imaxes tan irreais

which look nothing like my life,

tan diferentes da miña vida,

that I recently decided to shoot and star in a parody series of stock photos

que hai pouco decidín facer e protagonizar unhas serie de fotos paródicas

that I hoped the world would start to use

coa esperanza de que a xente as empezase a usar

just showing the really awkward reality of going back to work

amosando a curiosa realidade de volver ao traballo

when your baby's food source is attached to your body.

cando a comida do teu neno vai pegada ao teu corpo.

I'm just going to show you two of them.

Voulles amosar dúas delas.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Nothing says "Give that girl a promotion" like leaking breast milk

Nada axuda tanto a conseguir un ascenso como as manchas de leite

through your dress during a presentation.

no vestido durante unha presentación.

You'll notice that there's no baby in this photo,

Fíxense en que non hai ningún neno na foto

because that's not how this works,

porque non funciona así,

not for most working mothers.

polo menos para a maioría das nais.

Did you know, and this will ruin your day,

Sabían, e isto vailles estragar o día,

that every time a toilet is flushed, its contents are aerosolized

que cada vez que tiran da cisterna o que hai dentro vaporízase

and they'll stay airborne for hours?

e permanece no aire durante horas?

And yet, for many new working mothers,

Aínda así, para moitas nais traballadoras

this is the only place during the day that they can find to make food

ese é o único lugar en todo o día en que poden darlles de comer

for their newborn babies.

aos seus bebés acabados de nacer.

I put these things, a whole dozen of them, into the world.

Presento estas cousas, unha ducia delas, ao mundo.

I wanted to make a point.

Quería deixar algo claro.

I didn't know what I was also doing was opening a door,

Non sabía que ao mesmo tempo estaba abrindo unha porta

because now, total strangers from all walks of life

porque agora todo tipo de persoas descoñecidas

write to me all the time

me escriben a cadora

just to tell me what it's like for them to go back to work

para me contaren como é para elas volver ao traballo

within days or weeks of having a baby.

só uns días ou semanas despois de teren un fillo.

I'm going to share 10 of their stories with you today.

Vou compartir con vostedes dez das súas historias hoxe.

They are totally real, some of them are very raw,

Son totalmente reais, algunhas moi dolorosas

and not one of them looks anything like this.

e ningunha delas se parece a isto.

Here's the first.

Aquí vai a primeira.

"I was an active duty service member at a federal prison.

"Era unha traballadora activa nunha prisión federal.

I returned to work after the maximum allowed eight weeks for my C-section.

Volvín ao traballo tras o máximo permitido de oito semanas após unha cesárea.

A male coworker was annoyed that I had been out on 'vacation,'

Un compañeiro varón enfadouse porque eu marchara 'de vacacións',

so he intentionally opened the door on me while I was pumping breast milk

así que abriu a mantenta a porta mentres eu sacaba leite do peito

and stood in the doorway with inmates in the hallway."

e permaneceu na porta cos reclusos no corredor".

Most of the stories that these women, total strangers, send to me now,

Moitas das historias que estas mulleres envían

non tratan sequera sobre aleitar.

are not actually even about breastfeeding.

A woman wrote to me to say,

Unha muller escribiume para dicir:

"I gave birth to twins and went back to work after seven unpaid weeks.

"Tiven dous xemelgos e volvín ao traballo tras sete semanas sen salario.

Emotionally, I was a wreck.

Estaba emocionalmente rota.

Physically, I had a severe hemorrhage during labor, and major tearing,

Fisicamente tivera unha grande hemorraxia e un desgarro durante o parto,

so I could barely get up, sit or walk.

apenas podía erguerme, sentarme ou andar.

My employer told me I wasn't allowed to use my available vacation days

O meu xefe díxome que non podía usar os meus días de vacacións

because it was budget season."

porque era tempada alta".

I've come to believe that we can't look situations like these in the eye

Penso que non podemos asumir situacións coma esta

because then we'd be horrified,

porque nos horrorizaríamos,

and if we get horrified then we have to do something about it.

e se nos horrorizamos, entón temos que reaccionar.

So we choose to look at, and believe, this image.

Eliximos, entón, mirar e crer nesta imaxe.

I don't really know what's going on in this picture,

Non teño claro que ocorre nesta imaxe,

because I find it weird and slightly creepy.

porque me parece rara e algo sinistra.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Like, what is she doing?

Ela, que está a facer?

But I know what it tells us.

Pero sei o que a foto nos conta.

It tells us that everything's fine.

Cóntanos que todo vai ben.

This working mother, all working mothers and all of their babies, are fine.

Todo vai ben para esta nai, para todas as nais traballadoras e todos os nenos.

There's nothing to see here.

Aquí non hai nada que mirar.

And anyway, women have made a choice,

E aínda así, as mulleres decidiron,

so none of it's even our problem.

así que nada disto é o noso problema.

I want to break this choice thing down into two parts.

Quero dividir este tema da elección en dúas partes.

The first choice says that women have chosen to work.

A primeira elección di que as mulleres decidiron traballar.

So, that's not true.

E non é verdade.

Today in America, women make up 47 percent of the workforce,

En América as mulleres son hoxe o 47% da poboación activa,

and in 40 percent of American households

e no 40% dos fogares americanos

a woman is the sole or primary breadwinner.

a muller é o único ou o principal sustento da familia.

Our paid work is a part, a huge part, of the engine of this economy,

O noso traballo remunerado é unha parte enorme do motor desta economía,

and it is essential for the engines of our families.

e é esencial para a economía das nosas familias.

On a national level, our paid work is not optional.

A nivel nacional, o noso traballo non é unha opción.

Choice number two says that women are choosing to have babies,

A segunda di que as mulleres decidiron ter fillos,

so women alone should bear the consequences of those choices.

así que teñen que cangar coas consecuencias da súa decisión.

You know, that's one of those things

En fin, esta é unha desas cousas

that when you hear it in passing, can sound correct.

que poden parecer verdade se as oes de pasada.

I didn't make you have a baby.

Eu non che mandei ter un neno.

I certainly wasn't there when that happened.

Non estaba alí cando pasou.

But that stance ignores a fundamental truth,

Pero esta afirmación ignora unha verdade fundamental:

which is that our procreation on a national scale is not optional.

a procreación a escala nacional non é unha opción.

The babies that women, many of them working women, are having today,

Os fillos que teñen estas mulleres, moitas traballadoras,

will one day fill our workforce, protect our shores,

serán algún día os nosos traballadores, protexerán as fronteiras,

make up our tax base.

pagarán os impostos.

Our procreation on a national scale is not optional.

A procreación non é unha opción a escala nacional.

These aren't choices.

Non son escollas.

We need women to work. We need working women to have babies.

Necesitamos que as mulleres traballen. Necesitamos que as mulleres teñan fillos.

So we should make doing those things at the same time

Entón deberiamos facer que as dúas cousas á vez

at least palatable, right?

fosen, como mínimo, aceptables, non si?

OK, this is pop quiz time:

Ben, é tempo para o test de revista:

what percentage of working women in America do you think

que porcentaxe de mulleres traballadoras pensades que nos EUA

have no access to paid maternity leave?

non ten acceso a baixa de maternidade?

88 percent.

88 por cento.

88 percent of working mothers will not get one minute of paid leave

O 88 por cento de nais traballadoras non terán nin unha miga da axuda

after they have a baby.

despois de ter o seu fillo.

So now you're thinking about unpaid leave.

Pensade agora na baixa sen dereito a cobro.

It exists in America. It's called FMLA. It does not work.

Existe nos EUA. Chámase FMLA e non funciona.

Because of the way it's structured, all kinds of exceptions,

Por como se estrutura, con todo tipo de excepcións,

half of new mothers are ineligible for it.

a metade das nais non pode optar a ela.

Here's what that looks like.

Funciona así.

"We adopted our son.

"Adoptamos o noso fillo.

When I got the call, the day he was born, I had to take off work.

Cando me chamaron o día que naceu, tiven que saír do traballo.

I had not been there long enough to qualify for FMLA,

Non estivera tempo abondo para ter dereito ao FMLA,

so I wasn't eligible for unpaid leave.

polo que non podía optar á baixa.

When I took time off to meet my newborn son,

Cando pedín días libres para estar co meu novo fillo

I lost my job."

perdín o traballo."

These corporate stock photos hide another reality, another layer.

Este tipo de fotos corporativas agochan outra realidade.

Of those who do have access to just that unpaid leave,

Das nais que si teñen acceso á baixa sen dereito a cobro,

most women can't afford to take much of it at all.

moitas non poden permitirse usala.

A nurse told me, "I didn't qualify for short-term disability

Unha enfermeira explicoume "Non tiña opción á baixa maternal

because my pregnancy was considered a preexisting condition.

porque o meu embarazo foi considerado condición preexistente.

We used up all of our tax returns and half of our savings

Gastamos toda a devolución de facenda e a metade dos aforros

during my six unpaid weeks.

nas miñas seis semanas sen soldo.

We just couldn't manage any longer.

Non podiamos seguir por máis tempo.

Physically it was hard, but emotionally it was worse.

Era duro a nivel físico, pero no emocional era peor.

I struggled for months being away from my son."

Sufrín durante meses estando lonxe do meu fillo".

So this decision to go back to work so early,

Entón esta decisión de volver tan cedo ao traballo

it's a rational economic decision driven by family finances,

é unha decisión económica racional motivada pola economía familiar,

but it's often physically horrific

pero a miúdo é horrible a nivel físico

because putting a human into the world is messy.

porque traer un ser humano ao mundo é complicado.

A waitress told me,

Unha camareira contoume:

"With my first baby, I was back at work five weeks postpartum.

"Co meu primeiro fillo, volvín ao traballo cinco semanas após o parto.

With my second, I had to have major surgery after giving birth,

Co segundo, tiven unha cirurxía seria despois de dar a luz

so I waited until six weeks to go back.

e tiven que esperar seis semanas.

I had third degree tears."

Tiña desgarros de nivel tres."

23 percent of new working mothers in America

O 23% das novas nais traballadoras nos EUA

will be back on the job within two weeks of giving birth.

volverán ao traballo dúas semanas despois do parto.

"I worked as a bartender and cook, average of 75 hours a week while pregnant.

"Traballaba como camareira e cociñeira 75 horas á semana durante o embarazo.

I had to return to work before my baby was a month old,

Volvín traballar antes de que o neno tivese un mes,

working 60 hours a week.

traballando 60 horas á semana.

One of my coworkers was only able to afford 10 days off with her baby."

Unha das miñas compañeiras só puido permitirse 10 días co seu neno."

Of course, this isn't just a scenario with economic and physical implications.

Por suposto, esta non é só unha situación con implicacións económicas e físicas.

Childbirth is, and always will be, an enormous psychological event.

O nacemento é, e será sempre, un enorme acontecemento psicolóxico.

A teacher told me,

Unha profesora explicoume:

"I returned to work eight weeks after my son was born.

"Volvín ao traballo oito semanas despois do nacemento.

I already suffer from anxiety,

Xa tiña problemas de ansiedade,

but the panic attacks I had prior to returning to work were unbearable."

pero os ataques de pánico que tiven antes de volver eran insoportables".

Statistically speaking,

A nivel estatístico,

the shorter a woman's leave after having a baby,

canto menos dure a baixa despois de ter o fillo,

the more likely she will be to suffer from postpartum mood disorders

máis probable é que se sufran problemas emocionais posparto,

like depression and anxiety,

como depresión ou ansiedade.

and among many potential consequences of those disorders,

Entre outras consecuencias posibles destas desordes,

suicide is the second most common cause of death

o suicidio é a segunda causa de morte máis frecuente

in a woman's first year postpartum.

no primeiro ano despois do parto.

Heads up that this next story --

Atención á seguinte historia!

I've never met this woman, but I find it hard to get through.

Nunca coñecín a esta muller, a súa historia éme difícil de aturar.

"I feel tremendous grief and rage that I lost an essential,

"Sinto moitísima pena e rabia porque perdín un tempo fundamental,

irreplaceable and formative time with my son.

insubstituíble e formativo co meu fillo.

Labor and delivery left me feeling absolutely broken.

O parto e o nacemento deixáronme desfeita.

For months, all I remember is the screaming: colic, they said.

Daqueles meses só lembro os berros: dixeron que era un cólico.

On the inside, I was drowning.

Eu afogaba por dentro.

Every morning, I asked myself how much longer I could do it.

Preguntábame cada mañá durante canto tempo podería aturalo.

I was allowed to bring my baby to work.

Deixáronme levar o neno ao traballo.

I closed my office door while I rocked and shushed

Pechei a porta da oficina mentres o aloumiñaba

and begged him to stop screaming so I wouldn't get in trouble.

e lle suplicaba que deixase de berrar para non ter problemas eu.

I hid behind that office door every damn day

Agocheime detrás da porta cada maldito día

and cried while he screamed.

e choraba mentres el berraba.

I cried in the bathroom while I washed out the pump equipment.

Choraba no baño mentres limpaba o sacaleite.

Every day, I cried all the way to work and all the way home again.

Cada día choraba ao ir traballar e ao volver para a casa.

I promised my boss that the work I didn't get done during the day,

Prometínlle ao meu xefe que o traballo que non facía polo día,

I'd make up at night from home.

faríao de noite na casa.

I thought, there's just something wrong with me that I can't swing this."

Pensei que algo non marchaba ben en min, que non podía controlalo".

So those are the mothers.

Así son as nais.

What of the babies?

E os nenos?

As a country, do we care about the millions of babies

Como país, preocupámonos polos millóns de nenos

born every year to working mothers?

que as nais traballadoras teñen cada ano?

I say we don't,

Penso que non,

not until they're of working and tax-paying and military-serving age.

non até que chegan á idade de traballar e pagar impostos e ser soldados.

We tell them we'll see them in 18 years,

Moi ben, xa os veremos en 18 anos,

and getting there is kind of on them.

chegar ata alí xa é cousa súa.

One of the reasons I know this is that babies whose mothers

Unha das razóns polas que o sei é porque os fillos de nais

have 12 or more weeks at home with them

que pasan 12 ou máis semanas na casa con eles

are more likely to get their vaccinations and their well checks in their first year,

teñen mais posibilidades de ser vacinados e examinados no seu primeiro ano.

so those babies are more protected from deadly and disabling diseases.

Eses nenos están máis protexidos fronte a enfermidades mortais e perigosas.

But those things are hidden behind images like this.

Imaxes coma esta agochan esas realidades.

America has a message for new mothers who work and for their babies.

Os EUA teñen unha mensaxe para as nais traballadoras e os seus fillos.

Whatever time you get together, you should be grateful for it,

Deberías estar agradecida polo tempo que tes co teu fillo,

and you're an inconvenience

e es un estorbo

to the economy and to your employers.

para a economía e para os teus xefes.

That narrative of gratitude runs through a lot of the stories I hear.

Esta narrativa da gratitude existe en moitas historias que escoito.

A woman told me,

Unha muller díxome:

"I went back at eight weeks after my C-section

"Volvín ás oito semanas da miña cesárea

because my husband was out of work.

porque o meu home non tiña traballo.

Without me, my daughter had failure to thrive.

Sen min, a milla filla tivo problemas para desenvolverse.

She wouldn't take a bottle.

Non tomaba o biberón.

She started losing weight.

Empezou a perder peso.

Thankfully, my manager was very understanding.

Por sorte, o meu xefe foi moi comprensivo.

He let my mom bring my baby,

Miña nai puido traer o neno,

who was on oxygen and a monitor,

que estaba con osíxeno e monitorizado

four times a shift so I could nurse her."

catro veces por quenda para que o aleitase".

There's a little club of countries in the world

Hai un pequeno club de países no mundo

that offer no national paid leave to new mothers.

que non ofrece baixas pagadas estatais ás nais.

Care to guess who they are?

Saben cales son?

The first eight make up eight million in total population.

Os primeiros oito suman en total oito millóns de habitantes.

They are Papua New Guinea, Suriname and the tiny island nations

Son Papua Nova Guinea, Surinam e as pequenas illas-nación

of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tonga.

de Micronesia, as Illas Marshall, Nauru, Niue, Palau e Tonga.

Number nine is the United States of America,

O número nove son os Estados Unidos de América

with 320 million people.

con 320 millóns de persoas.

Oh, that's it.

E xa está.

That's the end of the list.

Ese é o final da lista.

Every other economy on the planet

Todas as outras economías do mundo

has found a way to make some level of national paid leave work

atoparon un xeito de ofrecer baixas de maternidade pagadas

for the people doing the work of the future of those countries,

para as persoas cuxo traballo significa o futuro deses países,

but we say, "We couldn't possibly do that."

pero dicimos "Non é posible facelo".

We say that the market will solve this problem,

Dicimos que o mercado solucionará este problema

and then we cheer when corporations offer even more paid leave to the women

e celebrámolo cando as empresas ofrecen máis baixas pagadas ás mulleres,

who are already the highest-educated and highest-paid among us.

que son xa as que teñen mellores estudos e soldos de entre nós.

Remember that 88 percent?

Lembran o 88 por cento?

Those middle- and low-income women are not going to participate in that.

As mulleres con soldos medios e baixos non reciben esas axudas.

We know that there are staggering economic, financial, physical

Sabemos que este enfoque ten

asombrosos custos económicos, financeiros, físicos e emocionais.

and emotional costs to this approach.

We have decided -- decided, not an accident,

Demos en decidir --en decidir, non por accidente--

to pass these costs directly on to working mothers and their babies.

cargarlles estes custos ás mulleres traballadoras e aos seus fillos.

We know the price tag is higher for low-income women,

Sabemos que o prezo é alto para mulleres con soldo baixo,

therefore disproportionately for women of color.

inda máis desproporcionado para as mulleres de color.

We pass them on anyway.

Cargámoslles os custos igual.

All of this is to America's shame.

Todo isto é a vergoña de América.

But it's also to America's risk.

Pero é tamén o risco de América.

Because what would happen

Porque podería pasar

if all of these individual so-called choices to have babies

que todas estas supostas decisións de ter fillos

started to turn into individual choices not to have babies.

se volvesen decisións individuais de non telos.

One woman told me,

Unha muller díxome:

"New motherhood is hard. It shouldn't be traumatic.

"A maternidade moderna é difícil. Non debería ser un trauma.

When we talk about expanding our family now,

Cando agora falamos de aumentar a familia,

we focus on how much time I would have to care for myself and a new baby.

centrámonos no tempo que teremos para coidar de nós e do neno.

If we were to have to do it again the same way as with our first,

Se tivésemos que facer igual que co primeiro fillo,

we might stick with one kid."

talvez teriamos un só neno".

The birthrate needed in America to keep the population stable

A taxa de natalidade que os EUA precisan

para manter a poboación é de 2,1 fillos por muller.

is 2.1 live births per woman.

In America today, we are at 1.86.

Hoxe temos un 1,86.

We need women to have babies,

Precisamos que as mulleres teñan fillos,

and we are actively disincentivizing working women from doing that.

e estamos desanimando ás mulleres traballadoras que poderían facelo.

What would happen to work force, to innovation, to GDP,

Que pasaría coa poboación activa, a innovación e o PIB

if one by one, the working mothers of this country were to decide

se unha a unha, as mulleres deste país decidisen

that they can't bear to do this thing more than once?

que non poden facer isto máis dunha vez?

I'm here today with only one idea worth spreading,

Estou aquí hoxe cunha única idea que paga a pena compartir

and you've guessed what it is.

e xa saben cal é.

It is long since time for the most powerful country on Earth

Chegou a hora de que o país máis poderoso da Terra

to offer national paid leave

ofreza baixas de maternidade pagadas

to the people doing the work of the future of this country

para as persoas que traballan polo futuro deste país

and to the babies who represent that future.

e para os nenos que representan este futuro.

Childbirth is a public good.

O nacemento é un ben de interese público.

This leave should be state-subsidized.

A baixa debería ser un subsidio estatal.

It should have no exceptions for small businesses,

Non debería haber excepcións para negocios pequenos,

length of employment or entrepreneurs.

duración do traballo ou emprendedores.

It should be able to be shared between partners.

Debería poderse compartir entre os proxenitores.

I've talked today a lot about mothers,

Falei deste tema con moitas nais,

but co-parents matter on so many levels.

pero os pais son chave a moitos niveis.

Not one more woman should have to go back to work

Ningunha muller debería volver ao traballo

while she is hobbling and bleeding.

mentres coxea e sangra.

Not one more family should have to drain their savings account

Ningunha familia debería consumir os seus aforros

to buy a few days of rest and recovery and bonding.

para mercar uns días de descanso, recuperación e achegamento.

Not one more fragile infant

Ningún neno fraxil

should have to go directly from the incubator to day care

tería que ir directamente da incubadora á gardería

because his parents have used up all of their meager time

porque os seus pais usaron todo o seu escaso tempo

sitting in the NICU.

sentados na UCI.

Not one more working family should be told that the collision

A ningunha familia traballadora deberìa dicírselle

of their work, their needed work and their needed parenthood,

que a relación entre o seu traballo, que precisan, e a maternidade que queren

is their problem alone.

é o seu problema.

The catch is that when this is happening to a new family, it is consuming,

O problema é que cando isto lle pasa a unha nova familia, é esgotador,

and a family with a new baby is more financially vulnerable

e unha familia cun neno é máis vulnerable economicamente

than they've ever been before,

do que nunca antes fora,

so that new mother cannot afford to speak up on her own behalf.

así que a nai non pode falar por si mesma.

But all of us have voices.

Pero todos nós temos voces.

I am done, done having babies,

Eu xa non vou ter máis fillos,

and you might be pre-baby,

e vostede pode ser pre-neno,

you might be post-baby,

pode ser post-neno

you might be no baby.

pode ser ningún neno.

It should not matter.

Tanto debería ter.

We have to stop framing this as a mother's issue,

Deixemos de entendelo como un problema das nais,

or even a women's issue.

nin sequera das mulleres.

This is an American issue.

É un problema dos EUA.

We need to stop buying the lie that these images tell us.

Temos que deixar de tragar a mentira das imaxes que nos amosan.

We need to stop being comforted by them.

Temos que deixar de aceptar a súa calma.

We need to question why we're told that this can't work

Temos que cuestionar por que din que isto non pode funcionar

when we see it work everywhere all over the world.

cando vemos que funciona en todo o mundo.

We need to recognize that this American reality

Temos que recoñecer que esta realidade americana

is to our dishonor and to our peril.

é a nosa vergoña e o noso problema.

Because this is not,

Porque isto non é,

this is not,

isto non é

and this is not what a working mother looks like.

e isto non é

(Applause)

(Aplauso)