National Partnership for Women & Families renews call for Congress to pass national paid family leave law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 1, 2023 – On the eve of the 30th Anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act – also known as FMLA –, the National Partnership for Women & Families released a new analysis which finds that FMLA has been used more than 460 million times since being signed into law. This new data is highlighted in “Key Facts: The Family and Medical Leave Act.”

The Family and Medical Leave Act was a groundbreaking civil rights policy when it became law 30 years ago. It helped establish a new workplace standard, ensuring that women could keep their jobs while taking unpaid time off to serve as caregivers. It also protected workers – including men – from discrimination, allowing them to take on more caregiving responsibilities.

“Thirty years ago, the National Partnership drafted legislation to help workers care for their families without losing their jobs and to help ensure that workers were not discriminated against because of the need to take leave for caregiving. That legislation was the FMLA,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “The law was a groundbreaking step forward, making clear that a policy enabling workers to care for their families was an essential, baseline labor standard. While the law has been enormously successful in guaranteeing leave for millions of people, it has never been enough to prevent families from making impossible choices between work and family. Even today, being a caregiver can still jeopardize a woman’s career – but we have a solution. It’s paid family and medical leave. As we mark the anniversary of the FMLA and celebrate its impact, we are even more inspired to renew our commitment to fighting for comprehensive paid leave that works for all families.”

The National Partnership for Women & Families will host a 30th birthday celebration for the FMLA on Thursday, February 2.

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