Delivering a message on Mother's Day, Facebook Chief Operating Office Sheryl Sandberg called on the US government to give single mothers better paid maternity leaves. The single mother raised the issue of other moms who have the responsibility of raising their kids alone.
In a Facebook post, the 46-year-old mom said the situation of single moms should open the minds of employers to rethink their policies at work to make it easier for these mothers. "The odds are stacked against single mothers in this country," Sandberg said.
"[It] takes a community to raise children and that so many of our single mothers need and deserve a much more supportive community than we give them," she added. The Facebook executive also encouraged the public to support single moms in their aim to provide the best life for their kids.
According to New York Daily News, Sandberg highlighted on the lack of money and other resources of many single mothers in the country. "I realize how extremely fortunate I am not to face the financial burdens so many single mothers and widows face," Sandberg noted. "Poverty is one of the hidden and devastating aftereffects of loss for women.
The Facebook COO noted that the US is the only developed country that does not give paid maternity leaves. Sandberg said the government should provide mothers with proper support and not leave them with no one to count on.
Just like any single mother, Sandberg is also faced with the challenge of raising two children after her husband died last May die to serious head injuries. SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg was vacationing in Mexico when he died.
"People become single parents for many reasons: loss of a partner, breakdown of a relationship, by choice. One year and five days ago I joined them," the Facebook COO said. She noted that the struggles of single moms should receive proper attention from the government.
