Poor Scores for the US on Family-Friendly Workplace Policies

When a report recently released from the Harvard-based Project on Global Working Families found the U.S. to be just four places from dead last on a scale rating governments’ commitment to family-friendly workplace policies, people at Planned Parenthood took notice. The report, The Work, Family, and Equity Index: Where Does the United States Stand Globally? Crunches data from 168 countries to arrive at a scathing conclusion: When it comes to ensuring that employees have the resources they need to both hold a job and care for children, the U.S. is “far behind” the global standard.

The U.S. Law family-leave policy is rooted in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The law also ensures that upon returning to the workplace the employee is entitled to the same position that she or he held before the leave began, or one equivalent to it. Family-rights advocates see FMLA as a double-edged sword. Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, said she backs the recently proposed Paid Family and Medical Leave Act of 2005, a bill that would guarantee paid leave to the same population covered under the FMLA.

According to the Harvard report, the U.S. family-leave policy lags well behind that of most other nations. One hundred sixty-three countries guarantee paid maternity leave in connection with children; the U.S does not. Twenty-seven countries guarantee paid paternity leave, while 45 countries guarantee paid paternity leave or parental leave (leave that can be used following maternity or paternity leave). At least 37 countries guarantee parents some paid leave when their children become ill; the U.S. does not. According to the report, studies have shown that whether or not an employee receives paid leave after the birth of a child can have an impact on the physical health of the child, parent-child bonding; and the psychosocial development of the child.

The improved economic security that goes hand in hand with paid leave also enables parents to care for their children without the worries that inevitably arises when paychecks are cut off. Amid all the criticisms of U.S. policies on family leave, the country has shown progress at the state level. California got an A-minus in the report. Dani is lucky. At 32 and working at a hospital as a supervisor, she is enjoying taking time off to care for her first child born Oct. 14th. And now adoptive parents can take off under the FMLA to take for their newly adopted child.