In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed paid family and medical leave legislation. Sadly, it didn’t get Senate approval. Despite this inertia, paid family leave garners strong support in the United States. Lake Research Partners conducted a survey on behalf of Paid Leave for All with 1,000 voters from battleground states that showed 85% support for paid leave.
This article will discuss paid family leave, its current status in the United States, the growing movement for federal change, why it matters and more.
What Is Paid Family Leave?
Paid family leave is when employers pay their employees at least a part of their salary during a period in which they are away from work because of family care obligations. The most common example is maternity or paternity leave, but advocates are pushing for other kinds of paid family leave, including for caring for an elderly or sick relative.
The United States is the only Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country that doesn’t have a national paid leave policy. According to the OECD, the United States is the only country in that organization that lacks a federally mandated entitlement to paid leave. Highlighting how far behind the U.S. has fallen on this issue, some countries provide more than six months of paid leave. For example, paid maternity leave in the United Kingdom can extend up to 12 months.
Paid family leave usually pays a proportion of the employee’s salary. In most OECD countries, the payments provide more than 50% of average earnings. In 16 countries, mothers usually receive their full salary for their entire maternity leave.
Paid Family Leave vs FMLA
While the United States lacks paid family leave legislation, it has the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This labor law guarantees job security during leave, but doesn’t guarantee pay.
Under the FMLA, if you meet specific requirements, your job will stay secure even when you take leave. Elements for eligibility include:
- Must have worked for a company for at least one year
- Must have worked at least 1,250 hours during that year (or approximately 156 days)
- Must live within 75 miles of the workplace
- Must work for an employer who employs 50 or more employees for at least 20 weeks during the current or previous year
Several types of employees are ineligible for FMLA-supported leave. Examples include workers employed by small businesses, workers who didn’t work enough hours during a specific period, and workers who haven’t worked for their employer for a minimum required period.
According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, 44% of workers are denied access to FMLA-supported leave because of these exceptions.
Legislative and Policy Challenges
According to Paid Leave for All, just 27% of workers in the United States are eligible for paid family leave through their employers, and only 40% are eligible for short-term disability insurance.
This means that a federally paid family leave law could transform the lives of most of the country’s workers. There is overwhelming support for this kind of initiative. Despite this, significant legislative and policy challenges exist in the fight for paid family leave in the United States.
Federal legislation is needed to create a nationwide mandate for paid family leave. A relevant bill would have to pass the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are political reasons that this could be difficult to achieve. Some lawmakers might fear businesses in their districts would dislike the new obligations the law would create.
The type of bill in which a paid family leave proposal is included may also likely impact its passage. The previous paid leave proposal was included in the Build Back Better package, but it failed because too many lawmakers opposed it. Introducing the proposal in a stand-alone bill might be a more effective approach.
Many policy changes in the federal government can feel frustratingly slow. However, some states have made much more progress than the federal government when it comes to paid family leave policies and requirements. For example, some states have introduced benefit programs and expanded paid leave access.
The Role of Advocacy and Awareness in Expanding Paid Family Leave
The political obstacles to establishing a federal paid family leave law mean that awareness and advocacy are key. By improving public awareness of how much paid family leave would benefit workers and businesses alike, organizations can encourage voters to pressure their congresspeople and senators to push for the policy.
Paid Leave for All is one of the most prominent organizations advocating for paid family leave in the country. It organizes and helps spread the word to voters about why to favor a federal paid family leave policy.
In 2024, Congress received a petition with more than 55,000 signatures supporting paid family leave. Paid Leave For All worked with MomsRising (a women’s and mothers’ advocacy group) and Glamour Magazine to achieve this.
Paid Leave for All and other supporters continue to advocate for a nationwide entitlement to paid family leave for every worker in the United States.
Why Paid Family Leave Matters for the Future of Work
Without paid family leave, serious illnesses and injuries can destroy careers and prevent workers from taking care of family members in need of support. This can cause industries to lose valuable team members.
Also, paid family leave helps more people participate in the workforce, which may lead to higher economic growth. For example, paid leave can increase the participation of participation of mothers in the workforce.
On a more personal level, a lack of paid family leave can be detrimental to families and communities. Millions of Americans are negatively impacted by not having access to paid family leave.
These factors often mean that people from marginalized socio-economic and cultural groups have less representation in specific industries, reducing workforce diversity.
Fortunately, moves are being made in Washington, D.C. The bipartisan House Paid Family Leave Working Group introduced two bills for paid family leave benefits on April 30, 2025. These are the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act and the Interstate Paid Family Leave Action Network (I-PLAN) Act.
If these proposals progress and are implemented, they could have a transformative, positive effect on the American workplace.
The Future of Paid Family Leave in the U.S.
The fight for federal paid leave continues, and we have good reason to hope that one day the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will pass legislation to give every worker in the country access to paid family leave.
Paid family leave doesn’t just benefit parents. It has effects that benefit the entire country over the longer term. You should support the movement toward more humane and inclusive work policies, including paid family leave.
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