January 17, 2023

New Study Shows Paid Parental Leave Has Mental Health Benefits

A new meta study published in The Lancet provides a fresh reminder to lawmakers and policy experts that parental leave, especially paid leave, has numerous benefits, both for parental health and economic health, and leave is especially beneficial for mothers.

The study, in which Swedish researchers analyzed 45 previous studies focused on parental leave policies, determined that parents in countries with strong parental leave policies experienced less burnout, depression, and distress. Additionally, these effects lasted long after the initial postpartum period and in some cases reached into the later lives of parents.

As is well known already, financial uncertainty leads to worse mental and physical health outcomes. Throw being a new parent into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for serious problems. But in the case of parents who live in countries with generous paid parental policies, much of the stress from uncertainty is relieved, allowing parents to focus on their health and well-being along with that of their child’s.

As is also well known, the United States ranks dead last on the globe in terms of parental leave, and is the only developed nation that does not provide any paid leave for new parents. It remains a scandalous state of affairs that the United States cannot find the political will to develop federal-level policies that provide all parents with any parental leave. Instead, we leave it up to the whims of employers to provide meager, often unpaid leave to new parents, while mothers continue to face harsh repercussions for simply being pregnant. A number of states have passed Paid Parental Leave policies, but there is still no federal policy.

New York Extends The Meaning of Family to Include Siblings for NY Paid Family Leave (NYPFL)

November 5, 2021
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On Monday, November 1, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law providing Paid Family Leave to individuals caring for siblings. New York already has one of the nation’s most extensive family leave programs, providing employees leave to bond with a new child, to provide care for a relative, or to provide care when a spouse, child, parent, or domestic partner are called into active military duty. The inclusion of siblings under relative coverage goes even further to protecting family’s time off when the need arises.

Gender Bias Adds Up

November 1, 2021
Gender Discrimination
Everyday forms of gender discrimination that doesn’t add up to a lawsuit can be just as damaging to women’s careers.

Paid Family Leave in the Balance

October 28, 2021
Paid Family Leave
Conservative Democratic Senators continue to whittle away the President’s signature social spending plan, and paid family leave is heading for the chopping block, an incredible blow to families already struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

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