The U.S. built a system that asks employers to provide essential social protections. Now employers are retreating at the exact same time the government is retreating, leaving workers exposed from both directions.
Americans’ Unpaid Caregiving is Worth More Than $1 Trillion Each Year
Caregiving is essential work that our families and communities depend on – and the economic impact of this labor is enormous. Americans’ unpaid care is valued at more than $1.1 trillion a year – and women do more than 60 percent of the work.
State Paid Family Leave Programs Are Helping a New Generation of Dads Rise to the Challenge of Parenting
For ’80s and ’90s kids, having a father take parental leave was rare. But state paid family and medical leave programs are changing that for new generations.
Paid Leave Isn’t the Problem, the Disinformation Campaign Is.
Stories about paid leave going wrong are having a moment. Workers allegedly taking vacations while on leave. Warnings about fraud. Claims that programs are being “gamed” or crushing employers. It’s a compelling narrative. It’s also a familiar one. And honestly? It doesn’t hold up.
Families Can’t Afford to Go Without Paid Leave
We all need time to care, but the rising costs of essentials mean that taking time away from work is out of reach for too many workers. For millions of Americans, paid family leave means being able to afford the basics – including time to care.
This Mother’s Day, We Think About Universal Access to Paid Leave
Mothers are near and dear to our hearts, but are their needs treated with the same care in the workforce? The United States still does not have a national guarantee of paid family and medical leave, suggesting a gap between what we value and what we support.
Paid Leave at a Crossroads: Business Leadership, Caregiving, and the Power of Story
Every day, working people across the country wake up already making tradeoffs. They plan their commutes around childcare drop-offs, take calls from doctors’ offices during lunch breaks, and quietly calculate how many sick days they have left if something goes wrong. For millions of caregivers, work and care are not separate parts of life – they are deeply intertwined, often in ways that leave little margin for error.
Voices from the 2025 MAPP Advocacy Summit: Restaurants, Workers, and the Fight for Paid Leave
Behind every meal served in America’s restaurants is a workforce of women, immigrants, and small business owners whose livelihoods are directly shaped by public policy. This issue was put front and center when chefs and lawmakers came together for the annual MAPP Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill.
Republicans Just Extended the 45S Paid Leave Tax Credit for $5.5 Billion: Here are Four Better Ways to Spend that Money
There are smaller, more incremental approaches that Congress should consider that can support individuals who currently lack paid leave, help small businesses afford to provide paid leave, and support state paid leave programs. Incremental approaches to paid leave should also lay the groundwork for and be able to complement an eventual universal, federal paid leave program.
Military Spouses Need Expanded Eligibility for Family and Medical Leave
Family and medical leave is critical for military spouses, but frequent moves and underemployment make it harder for them to qualify for job-protected leave under the law. A new bipartisan bill would help.
If Americans Were Paid For Their Caregiving, They Would Make More Than $1.1 Trillion
Caring for our loved ones and neighbors is critical, important work that our families and communities depend on – and the economic impact of this work is enormous. Americans’ unpaid care is valued at more than $1.1 trillion a year – and women do almost two-thirds of the work.
The Best Father’s Day Gift is Paid Leave
This Father’s Day, it’s time to talk about how critical it is for men to take paid leave. When we had our baby last year, my husband’s parental leave was crucial for my physical recovery and for our ability to bond as a family.
Pennsylvania Paid Leave Would Improve Health for Workers with Depression or Heart Disease
If Pennsylvania enacted a paid leave program, fewer poor health days for workers would also translate to a positive impact on productivity.
2024 Legislative Roundup
For millions of women, all it takes is one major life event – a new baby, a serious illness, losing a job, a family crisis, some unexpected emergency – and everything can unravel. In 2024, several states made significant headway in becoming more equitable for thousands of workers and better supporting women and families.
The Next Chapter of Paid Leave Leadership: Transparency
There has been a surge of workers in the U.S. demanding better from their employers and leading employers have responded. To highlight companies that have cutting-edge leave policies, as well as to showcase the benefits to companies of transparency, we have launched the Leading on Leave Index.
Why Paid Leave Is the Best Mother’s Day Gift
For the mothers balancing the paid and unpaid labor keeping families afloat, we can do better than just flowers this Mother’s Day. A paid leave plan for all would give our superheroes the time they need to be human.
What States Stand to Gain From a National Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
Which states have the most to gain from investments like paid leave? We crunched the numbers in our Paid Leave Means A Stronger Nation fact sheet series – a state-by-state look at the growing need for paid family and medical leave laws.
Dear Boss: I didn’t know what life was going to throw my way
Shortly after having a little boy, my partner and I got to dive into the scary, competitive, expensive and overwhelming process of finding childcare. Fast forward to now, a year and half later, we have only managed to stay afloat as a family because of the flexibility, support, and policies in place that met me exactly when and where I needed them.
Women of Color Need a Vacation
In an economy shaped by white supremacy, the lack of paid vacation time offered to low-wage, service professionals also means that women of color are the most likely to be denied time for leisure, rest, and self-care.
Expanding Care Investments Is Not A Secondary Luxury; It Is An Urgent Issue: My Testimony Before the Senate Finance Committee.
On October 25, 2023, NPWF President Jocelyn Frye delivered the following opening statement before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee at a hearing entitled: “Exploring Paid Leave: Policy, Practice, and Impact on the Workforce." Watch my opening remarks before the Senate...