![]() Providing paid leave can increase labor force participation and lifetime earnings, especially for women, boosting economic productivity. The United States is the only OECD country that does not require any paid leave for new parents. Our country’s failure to ensure paid family and medical leave hurts American families and our economy overall. Further, black mothers face particular challenges in balancing care for their families and themselves against their families’ economic security, as they are far more likely to be the primary source of economic support for their families. Inability to access paid leave is particularly harmful for families of color, who have experienced systemic racism that leaves them with less wealth to draw on for unpaid leave and a greater likelihood of experiencing chronic health conditions. And it can negatively affect caregivers’ ability to stay in the workforce and achieve higher earnings over time. It deprives children and their parents of crucial bonding and recovery time after childbirth. It results in lower earnings for those who must take unpaid leave to provide care. Lack of paid leave squeezes families in a variety of ways. And nearly half of eligible workers report that they simply cannot afford to take unpaid time off work. Although federal law currently requires employers to provide unpaid leave to qualified workers, the eligibility requirements exclude about 40 percent of private sector workers. Low-wage workers were even less likely to have access. Last year, only 19 percent of civilian workers had access to paid family leave through their employer or through a state program, and only 40 percent had short-term disability insurance for their own personal medical issues. But right now, the vast majority of American workers do not have access to paid family or medical leave, putting them in the impossible position of choosing between providing care and maintaining a steady income. The need to take time off from work to care for a loved one or to deal with a personal medical condition is a near-universal experience. This plan was originally released during Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. ![]()
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