[M]any employers aren’t making it easy for [women] with their limited family leave policies, rigid cultures and business models that, in practice, often really don’t support working parents.

Donating sick and vacation days may seem like a thoughtful way to have a colleague’s back, but it’s also a spotlight on a gaping need to fix an utterly broken system.

Rather than further stressing our retirement system, a paid leave plan that is supported with very modest payroll contributions would ensure that American families have access to paid leave when they need it without compromising their ability to retire on time.

[New father Charlie] Camosy’s support for paid family leave doesn’t stem only from his positive personal experience. He feels called to advocate for it because of his Catholic faith, which teaches that both work and parenthood are important pursuits.

The absence of a paid family and medical leave policy in the United States is hurting my employees and my business. It doesn’t have to be this way, however, because a plan to solve this problem has been on the table for years – only Congress declined to act on it.

A paid leave policy designed to support workers who suddenly find themselves managing a crisis like this – not just the anticipated time off needed for childbirth, but also the sudden care need presented by a diagnosis of cancer, stroke, or even a happy but sudden adoption notification – would be a policy designed for robust voter support. Not everyone will plan to give birth, but who among us can say that we will never face an unexpected health crisis in our own family?

A prominent Christian think tank has come out fiercely in favor of better family leave policies, defending federally mandated family leave policies on theological grounds.

The “fake” paid family leave option, restricts participation to only maternity leave and diverts social security funds to pay for the program. […] For most Black women, social security makes up at least half of their income stream during retirement, according to the 2014 Black Women in the United States report by the Black Women’s Roundtable.

[Rhode Island state senator Gayle Goldin] says Rhode Island’s program has won over small business owners who were initially opposed, and has become a selling point for companies recruiting staff to work there. “It’s important not only because they [employees] think they’ll need the leave, but also about the values of the state…. It sets the tone for workplace culture,” she says.

Councilmember Eva Putzova, who pushed for the [paid leave] measure to be included in this year’s budget, agreed. “At some point it’s difficult to talk about family values and not follow through,” said Putzova, adding that in Slovakia, where she grew up, such a benefit is seen as almost a right.

Why is this broad definition [of ‘family’] so important [for paid sick days laws], and whom does it most impact? Well, for starters, lots of folks in the LGBTQ+ population.

A new mother in Massachusetts will get paid time off to care for her baby, beginning in 2021. A son will get paid time off to care for his ailing parent.

One military branch modified their parental leave policy by combining and increasing the current family leave policy late June as one to help new and current members.

Though a majority of Americans support paid family leave (though they may disagree over how to provide it), new research out in time for Father’s Day suggests insufficient paid leave as well as social expectations prevent fathers from caring for their children as much as they’d like.

Parents, clergy and lawmakers participating in the “Think Babies” demonstration in Trenton spoke broadly about the need for more affordable child care and a more generous paid family leave law that would double time off from six weeks to 12 weeks after a child is born or adopted.

With a growing sense that the US is being left behind by a lack of family-friendly policies, and as more evidence shows that there are advantages to families when such programs are in place, there’s some movement at the federal and local levels, but states are driving change

The U.S. can’t afford outdated policies that reduce the growth of the economy; working mothers can no longer accept a situation that creates stress and leads to lost income.

We are one of the few countries in the world where maternal mortality rates are rising, rather than falling, and black mothers die at three times the rate of white mothers. We are the only high-income country without any provision for paid family and medical leave.

“We want to be the voice for babies that aren’t able to speak for themselves,” [Jessica] Tolbert said. Like many of the parents at the rally, Tolbert mentioned paid family leave, health care, and affordable childcare as some of the major reasons they had come to lobby members of Congress.

As Americans, we like to think every opportunity should be available to everyone, no matter where you live or who you are. Unfortunately, that’s not true when it comes to the supports our country provides for babies.