American woman living in Spain breaks down four major differences of being a working mom in the two countries
- Emily San Jose moved to Spain in 2013 and met her now-husband soon after
- The HR professional, from Oregon, is now raising two children in Madrid
- She took to TikTok to share what being a mom in Spain is like versus in the US
An American woman living abroad has taken to TikTok to reveal what it’s like to be a working mom in the United States versus in her current home of Spain.
Emily San Jose, a native of Oregon who lives in Madrid with her Spanish husband, stepson and two young children, broke down four major differences in motherhood in the two countries in a 90-second-long video that she shared earlier this month.
The recruiter and HR professional, who moved to Spain for the first time in 2013 to work as an au pair, admitted, ‘I get this question all the time,’ referring to how the experience of being a working mom in Spain differs from that in the United States.
First of all, she explained, Spanish companies are legally required to give everyone a minimum of 22 vacation days annually.
Emily San Jose, a native of Oregon who lives in Madrid with her Spanish husband, stepson and two kids, broke down four major differences between motherhood in the US versus Spain
‘On top of this, Spain is a culture that very much encourages you to use every single one of those days,’ Emily added.
As her second point, Emily elaborated that ‘there’s a lot more government provided support for family.’
For instance, she continued, Spain offers a generous 16 weeks of maternity and paternity leave to both new parents.
‘Plus, there’s an additional 15 days for breastfeeding that you can use in the first year of your child’s life,’ she said.
‘On top of this, if your child ever needs to go to the hospital, or have a surgery procedure, or is really sick, you don’t have to use vacation or sick days to be able to stay home and take care of your kid.’
Thirdly, Emily highlighted that hiring household help ‘is so much more affordable here. To have people come to your house to help you cook, clean, take care of kids. It’s amazing.’
Lastly, women in Spain – or, in her observation, ‘maybe specifically in Madrid, because that’s where I’ve had most of my experience… tend to have their children later in life,’ she said.
‘Which, for me, was super interesting because being a mom-of-two plus a bonus son by the age of 30 blew people’s minds,’ Emily reflected of her two biological children with her husband and her stepson.
Emily met her now-husband while working in Spain as an au pair beginning in 2013
Emily tied the knot with her husband in 2016, and went on to have son Henry and daughter Carlota
As for Emily, after tying the knot with her husband in 2016, she welcomed son Henry, and her daughter, Carlota.
Emily isn’t the first American expat to share observations about how their new home abroad contrasts with the one they left behind in the States.
A young man named Konner, from Hawaii, previously shared his amazement at how everyone in New Zealand has an electric water heater in their kitchen.
‘It’s always on your counter and I absolutely love it because in America we literally have to use a stovetop kettle – we don’t have electric ones – which is always a hassle,’ he gushed of the appliance.
In another instance, a young woman named Tate Duane voiced her confusion at the common use of the word ‘keen’ in Australia.
‘I think it is so funny. Like when people text “KEEEEEN” when hey are so excited for something,’ she observed.
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