For some expectant parents, 2016 was a banner year and December a flag-waver: More than two dozen large employers announced that they would bolster their paid family leave benefits.
Here’s How Working Women Can Advocate For Themselves During Trump’s Presidency – Forbes
There are concrete ways women (and their allies) can advocate for themselves at work, in spite of resistance — and even hostility — from on high.
‘I Wasn’t There To Help’: Dad With Newborn Struggles With Lack Of Leave – New England Public Media
Mike Cruse is the father of a new baby. His daughter Olivia was born in July. But like most fathers in the U.S., he doesn’t get paid parental leave.
D.C. Council votes for expansive paid family and medical leave for private-sector workers. – Washington Post
The D.C. Council gave final approval to a plan that will provide private-sector workers some of the nation’s most generous family and medical leave benefits, fighting off a last-minute revolt by the city’s business establishment and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.
Family-centered Utah needs paid parental leave – The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah is a state that emphasizes strengthening families. However, our current treatment of working mothers does not reflect this community value.
Paid family & medical leave: A support for small businesses and working Vermonters – Rutland Herald
My name is Cecile Johnston, and I am the owner of Jumping Raindrops Sewing and Design in Montpelier. I’m writing to address the importance of a statewide family and medical leave insurance program and shine a light on the very real implications such a program would have for families throughout the state of Vermont.
Congressional leaders should reject Trump’s maternity leave scheme – The Hill
We were glad to hear the President-elect talk about the need for relief for working women. But those of us who have fought for decades for affordable leave cannot support his flawed proposal for paid maternity leave, and members of Congress who believe in real policy change for working families should not support it either.
Ikea Is Giving All U.S. Employees Paid Parental Leave No Matter How Many Hours They Work – Fortune
Starting Jan. 1, Ikea’s 14,000 salaried and hourly workers in the U.S. will receive up to four months of paid parental leave. Lars Petersson, head of Ikea’s U.S. operations, told the Wall Street Journal that the company expects the program to improve productivity and reduce turnover.
Bringing Up Baby, Helping the Economy – Scientific American
Too often new parents feel terrified—and not just about the daunting prospect of raising a child. Many of them must grapple with a gut-wrenching decision: How quickly can they leave their newborn to get back to their job? Few can afford to go without salaries for long or to weaken their future wage-earning potential by leaving their job altogether.
For National Adoption Month, a look at some local businesses that extended employees’ paid parental leave – BIZJOURNALS
As National Adoption Month comes to a close, we reflected on local employers who’ve made an impact in the lives of employees who adopt. Extending paid parental leave is a trend several large banks have joined this year to build in more flexibility and financial support for employees to care for their families.
The U.S. Should Meet Global Standards On Breastfeeding And Paid Leave – Huffington Post
When taking time off after giving birth means risking a paycheck, everything becomes arduous — healing, bonding with the baby, breastfeeding. Governments need to invest in guaranteed paid family and medical leave and other policies so that families don’t have to win the job lottery to give their children the healthiest start to life.
New parents are forced to make ‘crazy decisions’ to keep their jobs and care for their kids – CNBC
[Parents are] making crazy decisions to try and figure out how to keep their jobs, make enough money to provide for their families and still have time to spend with their kids. Nearly one out of every four women who gives birth in the United States goes back to work just two weeks later.
America’s Top Employers Still Lag Far Behind On Basic Family Leave Policies – Fast Company
While a number of major companies have made significant strides in providing paid family leave this year, and the benefits of these policies are widely reported, a majority of the U.S.’s top employers still lag far behind.
Here’s Why Top U.S. Employers Are Super Secretive About Paid Leave – Fortune
The paid leave arms race isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. While some employers—notably those in consulting and tech—have recently made splashy updates to their leave policies, the vast majority are staying quiet.
Family leave, an unexpected election winner? – Boston Globe
“We saw in poll after poll, voters saying this was an issue they cared about,” said Vicki Shabo, vice president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. While many such policies have been supported by progressive candidates for decades, “the fact that it came up in the general election by the Republican candidate was totally unprecedented.”
Banks Should Embrace These 5 Parental Leave Policies – American Banker
For women who struggle with conflicts between work and home life, there is a moment in the film, “Equity,” that is ruefully familiar. The drama takes place at an investment bank where ambitious women are delicately managing career moves.
Keira Knightley Says Paternity Leave Is a Necessity – TIME
British actress Keira Knightley is Harper’s Bazaar UK December cover star, and yesterday, she received the magazine’s Theatre Icon award during their Women of the Year Awards ceremony. Inside the magazine’s pages, Knightley touched on her personal life by commenting on the state of parental leave and child care.
Deloitte CEO: Family leave invests in our employees – The Hill
There was a time not long ago when employees were supposed to leave family issues at home. The stress of caring for an elderly parent, a sick spouse, or a newborn was something better left outside the confines of the office. It was even taboo to take too much time off to deal with something personal, other than a short maternity leave.
Why Paid Parental Leave Strengthens Your Business – Indeed
New York state and San Francisco passed new paid leave laws in April. Etsy, Twitter and Deloitte are some of the latest companies to implement generous paid leave policies that raise the bar for all employers. And Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made headlines when he took two months off for the birth of his daughter.
Putting Family Policy on the Governing Agenda – The American Prospect
For many people, economic policy brings to mind issues like taxes, trade, and interest rates—the subjects that dominate the financial news. Child care and family leave go into another basket typically conceived of as “women’s issues” and implicitly treated as irrelevant to economic growth and prosperity.