Comment due by Oct. 23, 2015
Presidential candidates are talking about paid family leave — both for and against it — because they know this issue is top of mind for voters throughout the country. For American voters, family comes first. Whether it's for a newborn, an ailing parent, or a spouse nursing an injury, being there and providing for family isn't negotiable.
The question is whether we as a nation are going to let every family fend for themselves, or adopt a national solution that makes sure that putting family first doesn't mean losing your paycheck or your job. Voters are demanding policies that reflect this priority.
"It's about time we had paid family leave for American families and join the rest of the world," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her opening remarks at the first Democratic debate.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders echoed: "We should not be the only major country that does not provide medical and — and parental leave — family and parental leave to all of our families."
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley built on the idea: "We would be a stronger nation economically if we had paid family leave."
The three Democratic front-runners are not the only ones speaking to this issue. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who's running in the Republican primary, has come out with his own paid family-leave proposal (albeit a severely flawed one), and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorinadevoted an entire blog post to defending her position against paid family leave.
Recent polling by "Make it Work," a campaign I co-founded to advance women and working families' economic issues, found that 75 percent of voters say they support a package of work-family policies that includes paid family leave, paid sick days, equal pay, affordable child care and a higher minimum wage. Fifty-six percent of voters said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports this plan.
And it's not just women. Fifty-five percent of men say they are more likely to vote for candidates who support this plan. The number of men who use the job protections of the current Family and Medical Leave Act to care for family members has been slowly but steadily increasing, and more and more men are calling for employers to adopt paid parental leave policies.
Paid family leave and other family-friendly policies are good for children, good for families, good for public health and, as Gov. O'Malley noted, good for the economy. In the states that have adopted paid leave – California, New Jersey and Rhode Island – both employers and employees report benefiting from the law. And in recent months, we've heard from companies like Netflix, Microsoft, Adobe, LinkedIn,Facebook, Google and others about their recently adopted generous paid leave policies for moms and dads. These policies aren't always perfect, but the idea that companies should be providing these supports for families – from 12 weeks to 52 weeks of fully paid leave – comes from the understanding that these policies are not only the right thing to do, but also good for business and retaining great employees.
We can't rely on companies to do it alone, or too many people will be left behind – especially low-income families who need paid leave the most. That's why presidential candidates are taking the matter into their hands. In the Democratic debate, Sec. Clinton pointed to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) as a champion of this issue. The Family Act, the bill championed by Gillibrand and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), would guarantee paid leave to care for new children and those with serious illnesses. With the right candidate, paid family and medical leave could finally become a reality in 2017.
Commentary by Vivien Labaton, co-founder and co-director of MakeIt Work
I have always heard of the generous family leave given to employees in other countries, and never understood why the US had not adopted the same policy. As the article states some major companies have made headlines by adopting paid family leave and I believe this is the beginning of a new era.
ReplyDeleteWomen get paid maternity leave, but I do not believe enough time is given. In additional to more time for the mothers, the fathers should also be given at least a month to adopt to a huge life change and responsibility.
The next president to get elected will face these issues on paid leave and I would hope he/ she adopts this policy. I believe it benefits everyone and the company they work for.
Ashley Russo
I am glad the country is becoming more aware of policies such as paid family leave. Paid leave is not only a morally correct policy but it could also help increase the percentage of women in the work force. Some woman might hold off on working because they are expecting to have a child. In addition, paid leave raises the probability that mothers return to employment later. Compared to not going back to work at all. Obama recently proposed a plan of six weeks of family leave and to some politicians that seems too much for whatever reason. In Britain, they have 52-week family paid leave policies in effect. Recently, they did a study that "mothers in California who took leave were 6 percent more likely to be working a year later than those who did not." All in all, paid leave is the correct way to do things. Families should not be punished financially and emotionally for having a child, etc. Other countries have adopted paid leave. It makes no sense that America has not.
ReplyDeleteReferences: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/upshot/the-economic-benefits-of-paid-parental-leave.html?_r=0
I like the fact that the U.S is finally working towards giving family leave to employees. Familys on leave, including males and females, should be entitled to getting a pay check when something occurs, like a mother leaving for maternity leave. Familys need the support or else they wont be able to provide the their very own family. I feel that when the next president is elected, they should take this into consideration. This will be a huge step in our society and benefit tons of people trying to feed and care for their family. This is supported by both men and women, the article says, "And it's not just women. Fifty-five percent of men say they are more likely to vote for candidates who support this plan." There are already a huge amount of supporters that support this policy.
ReplyDeleteI think that the country does need to adopt more policies that allow for people to take time out to take care of family members. But I am not sure that 52 weeks is necessary. I mean my job would have to replace me, it wouldn't be possible for them to hold the position. However seeing how my mother passed away a little over a year ago, and she was very sick for a month before that. I understand the need to be able to take time, and it being ok. Luckily the week before and after she passed my job was kind enough to understand and give me the time with no argument. But I know that not all companies are like that. Also I had to just go without pay for all of that time. It would be nice if there was something in place to pay for people that time that must spend with their families. Although I do not support any of the democratic candidates, I do think they have some good ideas to support families.
ReplyDeleteWhy our nation hasn't fully already adapted to policies favoring parental paid leave is beyond me. Family is such an integral part of life and shouldn't have to be compromised because of work. Both the male and female halves should spend time with their child so that he/she can properly develop over time. I know I am not the only one who supports parental-leave support, especially since it will help the children and the health of the parents in the long run. Other nations who follow this find that their children grow up having a better understanding of their surroundings. In terms of the magnitudes of paid leave, 52 weeks is very extensive. Of course a family will always come first, but paid leave shouldn't be something to be taken granted for, especially if there are families who really need the support.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that parental leave is essential. 52 week though is a little much, I feel that employees will not need that full leave and if that amount of leave is taken then the employee will come back and be lost in what is going on within the company. I do feel that a couple months for males is a sufficient amount and the male can choose how ever much time is needed, they can take the full leave or only a couple weeks if they choose. For females i believe they should be able to choose how much leave they want. If they feel that they need more leave then they can take it. As they bare more of the burden i feel they should be allowed to take as much leave as they need without taking advantage of policies.
ReplyDeletePaid parental leave is a great idea. Of course now that it is time to start deciding who our next president is now it is a huge subject. I think we need to follow the lead of companies like Netflix, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook, and adobe. I do not think this is something the government should control though. Some businesses simply cannot afford to pay people to take a year off like Netflix. It is an area that needs reform, but it has to be a perfect plan. Not a plan that is going to run many businesses into debt. Of course it sounds like a perfect idea to give woman a year of after giving birth, but most job fields cannot afford to pay these woman to be at home for a year.
ReplyDeletePaid Parental leave is something I strongly believe in. Being that when I have a family I believe it's important for me to stay home with my kid for more than a year and be able to get paid from my current job. A child needs a mother/father to watch over them for more than a year.
ReplyDeleteHaving a job that supports you and your family is something Iook forward to in the future and hope this plan comes into New York
DeletePaid leave will most definitely become a guaranteed thing for most workers in the near future. Many people put off joining the work force for long periods of times simply because they are worried about caring for a child may affect their job status. Society is economically at its best when it is operating at its most efficient and productive state and I think that paid leave would make workers more productive. I also think workers would be less inclined to abuse the system because they would only take days off for very serious inquires.
ReplyDeleteThe social benefit of having paid leave can be very beneficial. For example, if a mother has paid leave for an extended period of time she can have a larger role in raising her daughter and teaching her certain values and manners etc. The benefit of this would have an overall positive outcome on society because the mother has raised a good child who will benefit society.
Since many people put off joining the work force for long periods of times because they are worried about caring for a child may affect their job status.Paid leave will become a guaranteed thing for most workers in the near future. Society is economically at its best when it is operating at its most efficient and productive state and I think that paid leave would make workers more productive.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with the idea of paid parental leave. A mother who has just given birth who now has to stay home with her child should be able to get paid to help support said child and also help the male by having another source of income in the house which will make it easier to support the family. If there is not paid parental leave, there would only be one source of income since the mother would have to stay home with her child. Paid parental leave should be something that has been in effect for years now.
ReplyDeleteFamily comes first in America which is why I think family leave is essential to our country. The government should support families by giving them paychecks when they have to take off to care for a newborn. It is important that the parent or parents can support their family comfortably. I'm glad this is a concerning topic for the upcoming debate. I agree with what Governor O'Mailey said that "paid family leave and other family-friendly policies are good for children, good for families, good for public health and good for the economy." I'm interested to see if a policy does pass for family leave, how much will it affect the economy?
ReplyDeleteBradley Paterson
According to the article, paid leave is in the near future. I believe that this proposal would only be possible in an utopian society. The only companies that people thought would be able to afford this proposal would be Corporate America because of their tremendous cash flows. But in reality, some of them could not actually afford it. From the 6 Corporate America companies that the author has listed, 2 of them could not financially afford it. Netflix could not possibly afford this because they have an operating cash flow of almost a negative $543 billion. The other company that could not afford this is Linkedin because they have a negative profit margin of -4.36%. So, a third of the Corporate America companies that were listed by the author would not be able to afford it. If Corporate America, who account for a third of the workforce, is having problems financing this proposal how would the other two thirds which includes mid-size and small business be able to afford this proposal if they do not have the same billions of dollars in cash flow like major corporations? The information that is provided from the link does not provide solid costs for all of the proposals. The organization MakeItWork should take all of the Fortune 500 financial balance sheets and should include the specific costs of each proposal into the balance sheets and see if it is financially feasible.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Swyntuch
Sometimes it's difficult for families to make due with children on the way. Not having any paid leave is unfair to many mothers who have to sacrifice so much for weeks. Having that little bit of extra help can be so much more beneficial to families in the long run. It's looking like having paid leave is the way of the future. It's great to see so many people and companies like Netflix and Microsoft to offer this option for families.
ReplyDeleteI believe that family leave is very important. It gives the parent a chance to get settled within the time frame of adding a new life to their family. Especially for women, they have physical changes in there body and from what i have heard it is quite the experience. From what my parents always told me, Family comes first and no matter what the job situation is i believe that they employee has the right to miss a month or two after the baby is born.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely believe a family leave should be paid for. Family is a major priority for everyone around the world. People have the motivation to go to their job everyday in order to provide for their families. If they need to take off of work to be a good mother or father, they should not be penalized for taking this time off. i think this policy should definitely be enforced in the near future and i believe a lot of people would agree as well.
ReplyDeleteMike Salmonese
I truly believe that family is a very important concept around the world. I would strongly agree on the idea of family leave because it allows mothers and fathers to take time to be there for their children without losing pay. Family leave allows opportunity for the mothers and fathers to raise their children without having to worry about going to work and missing out on their child’s life. Family leave is the way of a better world; it helps support the child without the stress of having to go to work everyday with a newborn baby at home. I think family leave is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteA paid family leave policy should be adopted in the United States and it is fairly surprising it has not been done already. It is very true that family is the top priority for the majority of American voters. This is especially true for mothers with newborn babies. It is necessary for a new mother to be home with a newborn to care for it but also partially to recover herself. If family leave is not paid it could discourage some women from having babies or others from even joining the work force at all. I would like to see a policy such as this adopted with the new presidency.
ReplyDeleteRiley Iafrate