Making the Case for Paid Family and Medical Leave

This collection provides a sampling of CAP's best research and original analysis on the benefits of a comprehensive paid leave program for all working families.

In this series

People Need Paid Leave Policies That Cover Chosen Family
Report

People Need Paid Leave Policies That Cover Chosen Family

Nearly one-third of people in the United States have taken leave to support a chosen family member’s health needs—but public policy largely fails to support them.

Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Laura E. Durso, Frank J. Bewkes, 1 More Eliza Schultz

Paid Family and Medical Leave: By the Numbers
Fact Sheet

Paid Family and Medical Leave: By the Numbers

Current data show the need for a comprehensive paid family and medical leave policy.

the Women’s Initiative

The Importance of Paid Leave for Caregivers
Report

The Importance of Paid Leave for Caregivers

Comprehensive paid family and medical leave not only helps workers care for their families but keeps them in the labor force, thus boosting the entire U.S. economy.

Joelle Saad-Lessler, Kate Bahn

Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave Are Not Job Killers
Report

Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave Are Not Job Killers

Contrary to claims by opponents, paid sick days and paid family and medical leave do not lead to a rise in unemployment but rather benefit workers, businesses, and the economy.

Danielle Corley, Sunny Frothingham, Kate Bahn

Breadwinning Mothers Are Increasingly the U.S. Norm
Marisela Martinez-Cola, right, a lawyer and a parent living in an Atlanta suburb with her husband Greg, left, and their 7-year-old son, David, prepare for a typical school and work day Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014, in Lawrenceville, Ga. The couple send their son to private school and have hired a tutor to improve David's reading _ expenses made possible by Greg’s salary as a regional buyer for Costco Wholesale. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
Report

Breadwinning Mothers Are Increasingly the U.S. Norm

The share of U.S. breadwinning mothers continues to grow, and understanding them is vital to understanding the modern labor force.

Sarah Jane Glynn

Paid Leave 101
Report

Paid Leave 101

Many Americans still do not understand the complementary but different roles paid sick days and paid family and medical leave play for working families.

Kaitlin Holmes, Sarah Jane Glynn

Paid Leave Is Good for Small Business
Attendees are seen at a rally for paid family leave in New York, March 10, 2016. (AP/Seth Wenig)
Report

Paid Leave Is Good for Small Business

A national paid family and medical leave program would level the playing field for small businesses and ensure that all workers have access to strong work-family policy.

Danielle Corley

The Missing Conversation About Work and Family
Sandi Webster, owner of Consultants 2 Go, poses in her office in Newark, New Jersey, on September 24, 2013. (AP/Julio Cortez)
Report

The Missing Conversation About Work and Family

Expanding the work-family narrative to be more inclusive of women’s diverse experiences is essential to developing policies responsive to the needs of all women.

Jocelyn Frye

The Cost of Work-Family Policy Inaction
A man sits at the kitchen table as his wife holds their daughter in Harlan, Kentucky, on October 18, 2014. (AP/David Goldman)
Report

The Cost of Work-Family Policy Inaction

The lack of work-family policies in the United States costs working families billions of dollars in lost wages every year.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Danielle Corley

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Paid Family and Medical Leave
Bryan Niedermeyer and Angelica Juarez visit with their daughter Olivia at Advocate Children's Hospital in Chicago on March 15, 2016. (AP/M. Spencer Green)
Report

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Paid Family and Medical Leave

Conservative proposals, such as business tax credits and pregnancy 401(k)s, do not cut it for working families that need paid family and medical leave.

Sunny Frothingham, Sarah Jane Glynn

Administering Paid Family and Medical Leave
Kamila Al-Najjar, center, visits with her mother, Joan Groen, right, along with her daughter, Inanna Al-Najjar, left, at an assisted living facility in Santa Rosa, California, on July 6, 2015. (AP/Eric Risberg)
Report

Administering Paid Family and Medical Leave

Policymakers have a number of options for how to administer an efficient and affordable national paid leave program that uses the best-proven elements of existing programs in the states and abroad.

Sarah Jane Glynn

State Paid Leave Administration
Mary Jane Montoya, shown here with her proud parents Sara and Billy Montoya, of Fresno, California, had the winning photo in the 2012 Gerber Generation Photo Search, announced on the
Report

State Paid Leave Administration

This report outlines key considerations for states interested in developing paid family and medical leave programs.

Sarah Jane Glynn

Key Features of a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program that Meets the Needs of Working Families
Lori Latch with her husband Chad; son Marcus, right rear; son Eric, front left; and daughter Ruby at their home in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (AP/Brian Chilson)
Fact Sheet

Key Features of a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program that Meets the Needs of Working Families

To update the nation’s public policies to effectively meet the needs of workers and their families, the United States should adopt a paid family and medical leave policy that covers all workers and is comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and inclusive.

the Center for American Progress, the National Partnership for Women & Families

Family and Medical Leave Insurance
Report

Family and Medical Leave Insurance

We need to establish a national family and medical leave insurance program that addresses the realities of our current workforce.

Heather Boushey, Alexandra Mitukiewicz

Family Matters
 (Man with wheelchair)
Report

Family Matters

Supporting caregivers through paid family leave and flexible hours will go a long way toward recognizing our invaluable informal care community and increasing cost savings for taxpayers.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Jane Farrell

The Economic Benefits of Family and Medical Leave Insurance
The percentage of adult children providing care for a parent has tripled over the past 15 years. (iStockphoto)
Report

The Economic Benefits of Family and Medical Leave Insurance

Recent research finds that family and medical leave insurance would greatly benefit America’s workforce and employers.

Heather Boushey, Ann O’Leary, Alexandra Mitukiewicz