Maternity Leave

So...

My great house-help Faith worked her last day Friday as she has gone on maternity leave. Faith is due on the 16th of August. To be honest, I didn't know she was pregnant. My boyfriend TB asked me one day, "is Faith pregnant?". Of course I said no. I thought she just had a belly like most women in Kenya. But he got me thinking. So a few weeks later Faith was working in the house and I asked her if she was pregnant. "Yes", she said. I asked her when she was due...August...(mind you I was asking her in June!). I then asked her why she didn't tell me sooner and she honestly didn't have an answer. I understood. Faith was afraid that I would be angry that she was pregnant and that her job would be in jeopardy. Clearly, I wasn't angry and told her as much. And then I broke the news. It is Kenyan law that any female employee (and yes Faith is considered an employee) who is pregnant has a legal right to take 90 days of paid maternity leave without exception. Faith nearly fell over. I further explained that the 90 days leave was paid...imagine.

In America, you're put on disability (assuming you paid into it) when you deliver and you might get six weeks to recuperate before you're back to work. That's a pretty normal plan. There's no federally mandated maternity leave law that I'm aware of. The states have been left to develop their own requirements. Wisconsin, I'm told, requires a 30 day maternity leave - but I've no idea if that's paid. It all seems fairly barbaric.

Back to Faith. So I've known for a few months that I would have to find a temporary replacement for Faith...ugh. Faith is the niece of a good friend. I trust Faith. Faith has keys to my house. Faith likes the cats and takes care of them. She's got a great sense of humor and works really hard. Faith is great. How to replace her? Enter Anita. Anita works for my boyfriend. She does a great job - his flat is always really sharp. So Anita is now working in my house. We'll see how she does. I have high hopes. Anita is very happy to have another job - she's literally doubled her salary for the next three months which is going to be great.

Faith returns 1 November...or she may choose to stay home and do something else. It happens. I've had quite a few friends tell me that I'm being 'really nice'. That although the law is very clear on maternity leave...most don't offer it. And Kenyans don't know their rights well enough to exercise them - or they're just afraid. I don't know. What type of woman would I be if I told another woman she couldn't exercise her maternity leave rights - the same rights that if I were to have a baby I'd demand for myself?

Faith is going to call the baby Elvis if it's a boy...and Agnes if it's a girl. I've not met a Kenyan named Elvis so this might be a first. Is she marrying the father? I asked her and she replied, "No way!". Funny. Faith's boyfriend is just a boyfriend. Faith wanted a baby - and now she has one. It's a trend here...that's rapidly growing in popularity - date a guy to get a baby - but not a husband...

I wish Faith all the best and look forward to her phone call...and I'm excited to meet Elvis!