Janae’s Blog

Jody Heyman’s essay “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break” has a variety of developmental patterns used within it to enhance her argument. She uses exemplification, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect. Heyman mainly utilizes exemplification. Exemplification is taking one broad, vague idea and focusing in on it until it develops into a definite and indisputable one that is supported by correlating facts. By starting with the broad topic of honoring mothers on Mother’s Day, then narrowing it down to the importance of paid leave for parents, mothers in particular, she has taken a very general idea and connected it with a more specific one. She states that the governments’ lack of respect for motherhood is clearly shown by the non-existents maternal leave policy. She uses 168 countries to study the variety of maternity leave policies, then uses that statistical group to solidify the other points she makes throughout the rest of her essay. 164 countries of the 168 she researched have some form of a maternity leave policy; however the United States does not. Heyman also comes to the conclusion that omen have many demands that are placed upon them, but are limited in their resources to help relieve that burden. She factually states that there is a general consensus among the people of America that the women still do a majority of the household chores and provide a majority of the care for both their families, yet have inflexible work schedules and overall less paid leave time, so they must struggle to complete and fulfill all the duties and obligations they are faced with very little support from employers. She argues that some countries even offer paid leave to father after a child is born, so that he can assist the first few months. If that’s the case why can’t the United States at least offer better benefits to mothers? Every example she shares ties back to her original point that the United States should, and is capable of, establishing a policy that allows a parent to have paid leave from their job to care for children.

When quoting her statistical support of comparing the United States to other countries, Heyman is using comparison and contrast to validate her opinion. She notes that the United States, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark were all ranked as top competitors in The World Economic Forum, but that Finland, Sweden, and Denmark could hold those positions and still allow for paid parental leave. With every argument she makes, she gives examples from other countries, and then states how the Untied States responds to that same situation, for example, 37 countries of the initial 167 she researched give paid leave to parents to care for sick children. She lists the benefits-it’s possible and cost effective for the company because children heal and recover more quickly when parents are involved in their recuperation, and therefore children have a lesser likelihood of being sick longer, which would allow the parent to return to work sooner. Heyman also uses slight undertones of cause and effect here to emphasize her point.

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