MLA was intended to be a “first step on the road to a family-friendly nation,” Debra Nass of the National Partnership for Women and Families, which helped draft FMLA, said. Yet in 20 years, there has been virtually no expansion.

“We’re in a very different place. We’re in a cultural moment where the democratic forces, the political forces and the economic forces are all pointed to address the very real need of keeping people in the workforce and addressing the changing family needs of child care and elder care,” said Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs.

The National Partnership spearheaded efforts to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and now leads a large coalition supporting Gillibrand’s bill.

“Being a truly family friendly legislator means advancing proposals like the FAMILY Act that will help women, their families and our country.”

And hooray for that, because according to the National Partnership for Women and Families, when men are able to take paternity leave they are more involved in their children’s care and more committed throughout the child’s life.

The FAMILY Act is backed by groups such as the Center for American Progress, which proposed a similar measure in 2009, and the National Partnership for Women and Families, which wrote and helped pass the FMLA.

According to the National Partnership for Women & Families , a mere 11 of the U.S. work force has paid family leave through their employer, and fewer than 40 percent have access to personal medical leave through an employer-provided temporary insurance program.