Are you a pregnant working mom or a working woman who'd like to start a family someday? Do you want to know how to get state paid maternity leave? In this episode, Emily and Lauren talk with Rebecca Hamilton, a Fiscal/Policy Consultant for the California State Senate, who shares what short term disability is (state paid maternity leave), how you can qualify for it, non-pregnant reasons you may qualify for it, what the process is like in California (and a few other states), and delves into the public policy reasoning behind these laws.

Websites and articles mentioned in this episode:

• FMLA website: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
• California State Disability website: https://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/
• Oscars-rejected commercial on postpartum recovery: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/02/10/oscars-rejected-postpartum-ad/
• National Conference of State Legislatures: https://www.ncsl.org/
• Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (DIEC) program for self-employed individuals: https://www.edd.ca.gov/Disability/Self-Employed.htm