Parents have some of the hardest jobs in the world. The United States government compounds that by giving them the hardest time after they have a new child by giving them one of the shortest-paid leave periods in the world.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-New York, recently signed into law a bill that will eventually allow paid new-child or sick relative leave for up to 12 weeks.
It applies to all types of parents, regardless of gender or whether they are adoptive or biological parents.
According to the governor’s website, starting in 2018, parents will be able to receive up to half of their average weekly wages for up to 12 weeks in New York. By 2021, it will be two-thirds of the average weekly wage.
A common retort to arguments for family leave is that such policies are too costly. However, Cuomo’s plan does not cost businesses anything, and instead is paid through nominal pay cuts in an employee’s salary. The cuts start at 70 cents and increase to $1.40.
This is a huge step for the U.S., and will hopefully lead us out of our abysmal track record with family leave.
For a while, few states in the U.S. had paid leave or they have offered very little paid leave — for sickness, relatives’ sickness or new children — to its workers.
This served as a major inhibitor for women, as single mothers were forced to stay home without pay, pushing them farther and farther below the poverty line.
Kids are expensive and so is missing work.
Cuomo’s legislation allows these busy parents to stay at home to bond with their new children without having to worry about being able to feed that child.
Bonding within the first few weeks or months of a child’s life can be very important for their later development, and University of California Davis reports that early parental or caregiver connections can lead to a more confident child.
Paid family leave can be vital for a parent’s economic well-being and a child’s overall development.
I encourage all state legislators to take note of Cuomo’s action, and to note that we can take steps toward ensuring the stability of American families without incurring high cost as a country.
meickhof@indiana.edu
@maggie_eickhoff
