The United States Needs Paid Parental Leave
The United States and Paid Parental Leave
When one compares the availability of parental leave in the United States with its fellow nations, a problem quickly arises. The United States considerably lags when it comes to parental leave policies compared to the rest of the world. When it comes to the issue of paid parental leave, the United States is one of eight countries in the world and the only country within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to not have paid parental leave policies[1]. Since the passing of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), there has been no substantial progress of these policies at a national level with any sort of paid parental leave only existing at a subnational level in some states[2]. In its current state, the United States absolutely needs paid parental leave policies to be implemented at a national level.
What is Parental Leave and Where Does the United States Stand?
Parental leave provides job protected leave to working parents before and after childbirth, with some countries also providing parental leave for adoption. Some countries define parental leave as an individual right with both parents being allocated a certain amount of leave time while others see it as a family right, allowing the allocated leave time to be split between parents how they see it fit[3].
The OECD divides parental leave into four different general types: maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave, and home care leave. In 2020, 33 out of 36 countries in OECD offer an average of about 16 weeks of paid maternity leave with wage replacement between 55 through 100 percent. While the number of countries that offer paid paternity leave are smaller than maternity leave, with only 26 out of 36 OECD countries offering it for an average period of 2 weeks, the wage replacement amount is higher, being between 70 through 100 percent. For paid parental leave, 24 out of 36 OECD countries offer an average of 45 weeks with a wage replacement of 55 through 100 percent1. Finally, home care leave which is only offered by a minority of OECD countries4.
An important fact and distinction when it comes to all of the different types of parental leave is that the United States is absent from every single one of them. This is an unfortunate devastating blow to workers and to the nation that is in bad need of parental leave, but which unfortunately has not seen a big win for paid parental leave since the FMLA act of 1993. Although the need for a policy that matches those of the other nations around the world is extremely necessary, no such thing has yet occurred.
The State of Affairs
It is disingenuous to say that nothing has happened to since its inception. Amendments were passed by individuals such as Presidents Bush and Obama, however, they have done little to advance the path towards paid family leave. If we look at data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on family leave[4], we can see how little progress has been made.
These two charts show the percentage of workers, categorized by private industry workers, state and local government workers, and civilian workers, who have access to paid and unpaid family leave between the years of 2005 and 2021. Chart 2 focuses on paid leave while chart 3 focuses on unpaid leave. If we look at chart 2, we can see that only around a quarter of the population has access to paid family leave with 23% of private industry workers, 26% of state and local government workers, and 23% of civilian workers having access to it. This access is not provided at all at a national level, but it rather depends on the policies which have been implemented by private companies and state and local governments. While chart 3 presents much bigger percentages with 89% of private industry workers, 94% of state and local government workers, and 89% civilian workers receiving family leave benefits, it should be noted that a very strong distinction between the two charts is that these percentages are for unpaid family leave which while helpful, it is still detrimental to parents who do not have the ability to go extended periods of time without earning a wage.
The Benefits of Paid Parental Leave
The availability of paid parental leave in all but eight countries in the world is a testament to the usefulness and desire of paid parental leave. However, to further show the positive aspects of paid parental leave, we will be discussing some of the benefits that come along with it. These benefits will focus on the individual and be divided into benefits to mothers, fathers, and children.
Mothers:
In most nations, parental leave policies are usually aimed at maintaining or increasing the rate of women’s participation within the workforce. An analysis of OECD countries by economist Willem Adema found that family-friendly policies have a significant impact on women’s labor force participation. Studies conducted in the United States focused on paid family leave in states that offered them such as California and New Jersey have yield more positive results for women’s participation and retention in the workplace[5]. For women within the workforce, parental leave also works as a deterrent against the negative impact of career interruptions on women’s pay and career advancement that comes with childbirth.
With parental leave, greater employment continuity is possible and with continuity comes a positive effect on career advancement. Reviews conducted over the years have found that parental leave can contribute to both greater physical and mental health. Common post-childbirth physical ailments such as fatigue, breast soreness, neck and back pain, and discomfort can be alleviated if the parent is allowed to take a step back from work and focus on recuperating. On the side of mental health, parental leave can also help combat the mental toll that pregnancy and childbirth bring with symptoms such as stress and postpartum depression. A study based on Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort in the US found that mothers who have less than eight weeks of paid leave experience more depressive symptoms and poorer overall health[6]. Finally, on the topic of gender equality, advocates believed that one of the benefits of paid parental leave was an improvement of gender equality, particularly related to intimate relationships and the division of labor at home[7].
Fathers:
While fathers do not have access to paid parental leave on the level that mothers do, there are still positive effects on them when they could utilize paid parental leave. One of these is a positive relationship between fathers taking parental leave and father involvement as parents who take leave are more involved after birth. Evidence from studies such as those conducted in Germany after the introduction of two “daddy months” in 2007 showed that there was an increase in fathers spending time in childcare if thirty months after birth[8].
Another positive result for fathers who have the ability to take parental leave is the increase in practical and emotional investment in infant care. An early study of Norwegian couples found that sharing leave resulted in a more equal distribution of household work as fathers were able to develop skills during their leave. More positive aspects come in the form of fathers becoming more aware of their children’s needs, the pace of home life, and increasing their competency when it comes to taking care of children[9].
Children:
One of the most apparent benefits of paid parental leave is its association with lower infant mortality rates. Findings based on sixteen European countries found that the better the paid parental leave is, the lower the rates of infant and child deaths. Paid family leave has significant negative effects on various mortality such as perinatal mortality, neonatal mortality, post-neonatal mortality, and child mortality with one researcher suggesting that increasing paid maternity leave by ten weeks would reduce infant mortality more than 2 percent. Furthermore, paid parental leave is positively related to infant development, including motor skills, communication, social skills, and problem-solving with a Korean study being able to further support this statement. The effects provided by parental leave can be considered long lasting as one Canadian study found a positive association between parental leave and child development five years later[10].
Is There a Demand for Paid Parental Leave
One last factor that we will look for in the argument for paid parental leave is the demand among citizens for it. We will be doing this by looking at a poll conducted by the nonprofit National Partnership for Women & Families. The results come from a poll that was conducted among 2,000 U.S voters between March 7-8, 2020, which focused on the FAMILY Act which included a comprehensive family leave proposal. The results of the poll showed overwhelming support for paid family and medical leave with 75% of voters being supportive. Furthermore, there was high support across demographic groups even after hearing details about the financial payroll contributions that would come from workers and employers. The polls showed that the best way to gather support for these policies is by showing that everyone will benefit from them[11].
Conclusion:
Even though the United States is one of the most advanced economic nation in the world, it is still one of eight nations that lacks any sort of paid parental leave as well as the only country within the OECD. Various studies conducted across the globe have shown that there is a myriad of benefits related to paid family leave policies and even though the support towards these types of policies from the U.S population is there, we will not see any policies being passed at a national level unless action is taken by activists, advocates, and legislators.
References
- Kaufman, Gayle. Fixing Parental Leave: The Six Month Solution. S.l.: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2022.
- NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR WOMEN & FAMILIES |. “New Polling Confirms Strong, Broad Support for Paid Family and Medical Leave,” April 2020. https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/new-polling-paid-family-and-medical-leave.pdf.
- “Paid Family Leave across OECD Countries.” Bipartisan Policy Center. Accessed November 9, 2021. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/paid-family-leave-across-oecd-countries/.
- “Parental Leave.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/parental-leave.
- Sholar, Megan A. “The History of Family Leave Policies in the United States.” The History of Family Leave Policies in the United States | The American Historian. Accessed November, 2021. https://www.oah.org/tah/issues/2016/november/the-history-of-family-leave-policies-in-the-united-states/.
- “What Data Does the BLS Publish on Family Leave?” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 23, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/factsheet/family-leave-benefits-fact-sheet.htm.
[1] “Paid Family Leave across OECD Countries.” Bipartisan Policy Center.
[2] Sholar, Megan A. “The History of Family Leave Policies in the United States.” The History of Family Leave Policies in the United States | The American Historian.
[3] “Parental Leave.” Encyclopædia Britannica.
[4] “What Data Does the BLS Publish on Family Leave?” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[5] Kaufman, Gayle. Fixing Parental Leave: The Six Month Solution. Pg. 65-67
[6] Ibid., Pg. 70-71
[7] Ibid., Pg. 71-72
[8] Ibid., Pg. 73
[9] Ibid., Pg. 75
[10] Ibid., Pg. 78-81
[11] NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR WOMEN & FAMILIES |. “New Polling Confirms Strong, Broad Support for Paid Family and Medical Leave,”