Only eleven states in the entire country have established some form of a paid family leave program. For a country that claims to care about its children, this is a shockingly low number, and it is time Congress do something about it.
Sign now to demand Congress establish a long overdue federal leave program to support working parents!
The period immediately after having or adopting a child is a crucial time for bond making, but can also be deeply exhausting and strenuous. As parents know all too well, this time often means sleep deprivation and adjustment for the whole family. On top of that, for those who have gone through the physical process of labor, the first few months postpartum can come with a whole host of medical and emotional risks for both the parent and the baby. The fact that parents are still expected to immediately go back to work during such an important and stressful time, in the richest country in the world, is absurd.
Over 120 other nations provide some form of family leave, with some countries -- like Italy -- providing a whopping five months. Yet only one in four of all employers in the United States currently provide family leave, and the vast majority of low-income workers don't have access to paid leave at all. A strong federal leave program could also extend to those who need to miss work to care for family members who are sick or injured. Clearly, we can no longer rely on employers or states to make these guarantees. We need a federally mandated family leave program.
Parenting already requires a whole lot of time, energy, and effort. There is no reason that on top of the initial stressors of childbirth or adoption, parents should have to worry about splitting their time between work and their new family. Sign now to demand that in honor of Working Parents Day, Congress finally establish a federal leave program to support working parents! It is long overdue!
