Parental leave in the United States
As of October 1, 2020, the same policy has been extended to caregivers of sick family members, or a partner in direct relation to the birth of the child therefore responsible for the care of the mother.
[4] The United States is the only country among the 38 member OECD nations that has not passed laws requiring businesses and corporations to offer paid maternity leave to their employees.
Ultimately, 12 states and the District of Columbia had implemented measures requiring at least some private sector employers to offer maternity leave packages to its employees.
[14] In spite of a high labor force participation rate, only an estimated 40% of working women had access to explicit maternity leave protection.
This PDA is essentially arguing that pregnant women should have rights to the same paid or unpaid leave that temporarily disabled workers are afforded by their employers.
Therefore, filling the gap for unemployed women with individual insurance coverage plans to be able to afford the prenatal and postnatal pregnancy care that they need to have a healthy baby.
Among the diverse group of researchers with different political and economic views, everyone believed that it is worthwhile to consider a federal paid leave policy.
Reasons for not having a protected paid family leave policy in place might be justified by the fact that there are limited economic resources to sustain a program.
The states with paid family leave include: Maryland, Washington, California, Oregon, Delaware, Maine, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rohde Island, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.
Seven other states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have adopted more generous maternity leave lengths that allow longer absences for the purpose of child-rearing.
California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island for instance, operate programs that require private-sector employers to pay their employees who utilize maternity leave at partial replacement rates.
[39] On January 1, 2022 Connecticut enacted the a policy allowing 16 weeks of parental leave per year should any unforeseen changes or issues arise during the birth.
[46] These decisions were made by the previous Defense Secretary "in an effort to support military families, improve retention and strengthen the force of the future.
[54][56] President Biden's heavy budget proposal for the fiscal year of 2024 has sparked uncertainty, however, about the ability to be passed through the government's split Congress and approval from the Republican House.
Even before President Biden officially released his laid out budget, Republican members of Congress were expected to be quick to reject this plan.
[60] Contrasting to President Biden's proposals for paid leave that would fund the program through tax collections, the FAMILY Act would reflect the Social Security model and deduct $2 per week from earnings.
[64][65] Research suggests that breast-feeding has the ability to yield substantial child health improvements in disease prevention and immune system build-up.
[69] For people that return to work during this postpartum period, the stress of maintaining a balance between their professional and parenting responsibilities has been shown to weaken their immune systems and interact poorly with their psychological state.
Researchers propose paid leave relates to health as it allows women to recover from childbirth and take care of themselves, attend to their infant, visit the hospital for prenatal checkups, wellness, and illness, and manage finances.
[74] Symptoms of postpartum depression include a loss of interest in activities, difficulty focusing, thinking, making decisions, and remembering things, anxiety, irritation, slowed speaking, physical pains, and feelings of sadness and worthlessness.
[77] As stated earlier, it can take up to 18 months to develop postpartum depression and it affects each individuals differently; the limited time frame maternity leave offers isn't substantial enough to address its potential health issues.
FMLA provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave, which only further negatively impacts women with low socioeconomic status seeking mental health care.
[90] Under the current FMLA system, approximately 40% of United States workers are ineligible for benefits due to the brevity of their tenure or the smallness of their firm.
The United States Department of Labor reported that over a 22-month period in 1999 and 2000, 3.5 million people needed leave but were unable to take it due to affordability concerns.
[92][94] LGBTQ parents are also more likely to foster or adopt, two processes that often require longer time periods of parent-child bonding and can have uncertain timelines of care.
[98] Similar to LGBTQ people of color, non-cisgender parents are usually more likely to live in poverty and struggle more with taking unpaid leave in order to support their families after childbirth or adoption of a new child.
A survey from S&P Global and AARP conveyed how families are engaged with taking care of their children from home for more hours than they are accustomed to since the onset of the pandemic.
[108] The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or the FFCRA, was implemented in order to allow parents or guardians to be able to look after their children due to COVID-19 related issues.
The 12 weeks of parental leave may no longer be a good fit for some families and may increase financial strain individuals are already enduring due to the pandemic.
11 states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington—and the District of Columbia currently offer paid family and medical leave.
