A new study released Monday suggests that pregnant women are working more before they give birth and returning to work earlier afterward. The U.S. Census Bureau study, which compares today’s statistics against data from 1961, reports dramatic changes in how women balance their careers and motherhood. The bureau also cites increased cooperation between pregnant women and their employers to meet the demands of both motherhood and working.

New mothers and mothers-to-be at Loyola are in the same boat, struggling to find the perfect balance.

Sara Butler, associate professor of history and a new mom, said she finds it difficult to take full advantage of maternity leave. As the only medieval specialist in her department, she continues to work with three thesis students while on leave. She’s also participating in search committees for new faculty, which she juggles with other administrative work.

“The common curriculum review is requiring us to put together new syllabi for all our common curriculum courses by the end of February, or our classes will not be included in the next Bulletin,” Butler said.

“Obviously even though I am on leave, I have to do this, and I do not get remunerated.”

New mothers and pregnant women were some of the people most affected by Congress’ Family and Medical Leave Act ofof 1993. The act, which guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for giving birth or caring for a sick family member, is a minimum standard for employers with more than 50 people on staff.

Loyola’s maternity leave policy allows a woman to take leave for eight weeks, beginning on the date of delivery. To get paid during her time out, the policy states that “first, the employee may use any accrued sick leave or vacation.

After the first twenty consecutive workdays of absence, and once sick leave and vacation are exhausted, Extended Sick Leave will pay 60 percent of the employee’s salary until she is physically able to return to work.”

For expectant mom Teri Berthelot, college of social sciences academic counselor, and her husband, it has been frustrating figuring out how they will maintain financial stability during her leave.

“It has been difficult for my husband and I to figure out how we will supplement our income during the five weeks after I exhaust my sick and vacation days,” Berthelot said.

“It is especially frustrating to know that only a few years ago, the former maternity leave policy offered women eight weeks of paid leave for childbirth and the care of her newborn.”

Ross Matthews, director of human resources, said the maternity leave policy was last changed in 2005, before he came to Loyola. He believes the rationale behind the change was to make the policy consistent with the sick and disability policies at other universities.

“There was concern that treating maternity leave differently than other kinds of leave could give rise to questions of unfairness,” Matthews said.

Berthelot said she understands the issue of fairness and realizes this policy levels the playing field, but said she doesn’t view her pregnancy as a “temporary medical condition” that warrants “disability leave.”

“I believe that pregnancy and childbirth are a beautiful miracle that should be treated as such, rather than being lumped into the same category as ‘any other temporary medical condition,'” Berthelot said.

“I realize that issues of special treatment come up when offering a certain benefit to one group of people and not another, but shouldn’t a mother who just gave birth be treated special?”

It seems administrators may share these concerns. The Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, asked human resources to review the policy pre-Katrina and said the issue is now being revisited.

“I am asking human resources to work with the Staff Senate on a review of the staff handbook, which would include the maternity leave policy,” Wildes said.

“I suspect that human resources and the Senate will recommend changes which we can then look to implement.”

Jordan Hultine can be reached at [email protected].