Paid family leave is rare in the U.S. It’s when a worker gets time off to care for a new child or sick family member – and gets paid for it. On March 18, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced a bill that would give all workers that flexibility. It applies to both men and women and offers 12 weeks of paid family leave.
“We have to make sure our fathers can participate and be with their families during family emergencies,” she said recently. “Everyone would like to be with their mother when they’re dying. People want to be with young children when they’re born or adopted.”
The measure would be funded like Social Security, with employer and employee contributions, so it wouldn’t expand the federal budget.Gillibrandhas been focused on early childhood issues lately. The bill follows a daycare affordability proposal from earlier this year.
“Not only do we need affordable daycare and universal pre-k, but we also need paid leave in this country,” she said. “That’s something that the world has recognized is important, and America is behind the times.”
The U.S. is different from the rest of the world here. A Pew Research Center study of 38 countries found only the U.S. without a policy. The New York State Assembly passed a paid family leave bill yesterday, but that’s only half the legislature. Three other states do have policies: New Jersey, Rhode Island and California.
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