Paid Leave

Most Americans don’t have the paid leave they need to care for themselves and their families when they need it most—and many don’t have any paid leave at all. The United States stands alone among its economic peers in failing to guarantee any paid leave at the national level, with profound consequences for the nation’s economy, its health, and the security of its working families. The Center for American Progress is committed to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of how or where they work, have the paid leave they need, through policies that work for them.

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Fact Sheet: Building an Economy That Delivers for Women Fact Sheet
A woman pushing a stroller walks through an atrium with light pouring in and a small pool reflecting plant life

Fact Sheet: Building an Economy That Delivers for Women

This fact sheet offers a brief summary of CAP’s “Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy,” which provides federal and state policymakers with the tools they need to center women in their economic plans and grow the economy.

Rose Khattar

Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy Report

Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy

This collection of policy recommendations reveals how policymakers can grow the economy by centering the changes that women need in their economic platforms.

Rose Khattar, Sara Estep

Why Self-Employed Workers Need Paid Leave Report
Capitol dome at sunrise, seen through chain-link fencing

Why Self-Employed Workers Need Paid Leave

For many self-employed Americans, the cost of taking leave for illness or family needs is too high without support, shaping both what self-employment looks like and who has access to it.

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family Article
Photo shows a couple sitting together on a park bench.

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family

In order to better support all workers—especially LGBTQI+ workers—policymakers must design paid leave policies that are inclusive of chosen family and reflect the diverse caregiving needs of people across the country.

Caroline Medina, Molly Weston Williamson

State Momentum for Paid Leave Past Event

State Momentum for Paid Leave

Please join the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership for Women & Families to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act and to discuss momentum for paid leave at the state level.

Revolutionizing the Workplace: Why Long COVID and the Increase of Disabled Workers Require a New Approach Report
A doctor holds a patients hand during an appointment.

Revolutionizing the Workplace: Why Long COVID and the Increase of Disabled Workers Require a New Approach

Using new data from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine the impacts of long COVID on the labor market, this report recommends that employers, unions, and policymakers create better workplaces for disabled workers and all workers.

Mia Ives-Rublee, Rose Khattar, Anona Neal

Women’s Stories on Economic Justice and Health Care Article

Women’s Stories on Economic Justice and Health Care

This CAP Action storybook features women in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire whose stories center on issues from prescription drug pricing and health insurance, to child care and paid leave.

the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Strengthening Federal Network Adequacy Requirements for ACA Marketplace Plans Report
A man holds his wife's hand after she returns from the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section.

Strengthening Federal Network Adequacy Requirements for ACA Marketplace Plans

In order to improve maternal health care access and outcomes for millions of pregnant and postpartum people in the United States, the federal government must ensure that health insurance plans available through the ACA marketplace offer robust maternity care provider networks.

Carolyn Sabini, Elyssa Spitzer, Osub Ahmed

All Workers Deserve Access to Paid Family and Medical Leave Video

All Workers Deserve Access to Paid Family and Medical Leave

A paid family and medical leave program must be national, comprehensive, and inclusive to meet the needs of all workers, their families, and the economy.

Juli Adhikari, Diana Boesch

Related Priorities

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Building an Economy for All

Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

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