Federal jobs often pay less than their private sector counterparts esp. for high skilled jobs. Provisions like these attract better qualified govt workers. Private corporations might be able to penalize parents by not granting them leave, but this is not an example the fed govt should embody, esp because the unpaid parental leave is most harshly felt by women who often have to take time to recover from giving birth to children. Considering that these children are our future citizens, soldiers, and tax payers of America, we shouldn't penalize the parents who raise them.