ABSTRACT
As with all stories, we sometimes have to return to the beginning to understand where the journey has taken us thus far. This chapter provides a brief overview of national legislation that impacts the narrower issues of pregnancy and maternity leave, and the broader issues of women in the workplace. Relevant legislation is presented and discussed in somewhat chronological order. Most of the legislation discussed has been amended, some several times, since the original enactment. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the symbolism of maternity leave and its connection to these policies. We suggest that perhaps we will need to reframe maternity leave, both in how it is perceived by women, their coworkers, and supervisors, and in how it is viewed by employers and society if we are to be successful in enacting substantive policy changes.
