Starting this month (October 1, 2020), federal employees are eligible for twelve weeks of paid leave within the first year after the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. In order to qualify, employees must have at least twelve months of prior service and, absent a serious health condition, agree to work for at least twelve weeks following the completion of their leave period. This is a great step forward; but unfortunately, does not help the 79% of civilian workers who do not have access to paid family leave (as of March 2020), or come close to bringing the United States in line with the rest of the world. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States ranks dead last when compared to 41 other countries with respect to paid maternity leave (which does not include fathers) on both the duration of the leave and the average payment rate:
The issue of parental leave is especially poignant here in Utah, the state with the highest birth rate in the country. Several states and the District of Columbia have some form of paid family leave requirements (California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington). Despite State Representative Elizabeth Weight sponsoring several bills to require paid leave for state employees, Utah currently does not require any paid family leave. This needs to change. Several municipalities within Utah have addressed this need, including Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, and the Park City School District offers paid parental leave as well. Others should follow their lead.
Parental leave affects many families in our community since almost three quarters of women and 93% of fathers with children under 18 work. The vast majority of voters (84%) support a comprehensive national paid family and medical leave policy that covers all people who work. As Representative Weight summarized, there are numerous benefits associated with it:
Utah needs to support its families and Utahns must demand that their elected representatives support paid parental leave policies.