Naomi Osaka Is Making the Case for Increased Paid Maternity Leave in America

Inspired by her own journey, the tennis pro is advocating for greater parental benefits across the country.

Naomi Osaka / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Last July, Naomi Osaka welcomed her first child, a daughter named Shai. Ever since, the Japanese professional tennis player has been outspoken in her advocacy for increased parental leave.

“America has a paid leave problem,” Osaka remarked in a recent Instagram post, and she’s on a mission to solve it. With that goal in mind, the 26-year-old has teamed up with the California-based infant formula company Bobbie “to advocate for the Family and Medical Leave Act, which would give 12 weeks paid leave, job protection, and guarantee a minimum monthly benefit of $580,” she explained.

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But Osaka isn’t stopping at vocal advocacy. In order to help parents and families suffering from a lack of parental leave and child support, the tennis professional—in partnership with Bobbie—combed through thousands of applications to determine the best use of the funding that they raised through their coalition. She ended up awarding more than 200 parents with $580 of financial support in lieu of policy-backed paid leave.

Though this initiative has been instrumental in helping combat parental leave problems, Osaka admitted that her mission is far from complete. “Our work isn’t done yet — we need your signature to get this in front of policymakers,” she said in her post.

The former world No. 1 had the chance to take the 2023 tennis season off to prepare for and then care for her newborn child. With this initiative, she hopes to give other working parents more flexibility and greater support as they navigate parenthood.