The US has never been closer to passing a paid parental leave bill than it is now

Newsbeat

There are more than 180 nations with laws guaranteeing some form of paid maternity leave. Among them are some of the world’s poorest, smallest, and most dangerous countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Dominica, Haiti, Kiribati, Syria, and Yemen. There are nine countries without it—six tiny Pacific island nations, Papua New Guinea, Surinam, and the United States of America. The US, a pioneer in so many domains, is a laggard when it comes to government support for childcare and family needs, and in no aspect are its deficiencies more glaring than in providing paid leave for new parents. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 requires US employers to provide only unpaid time off for childbirth. While some employers do offer paid parental leave, only 12% of American workers are covered by those policies. The US became a global outlier because of long-standing philosophical ideas about the role of the state in society, and how its economy has evolved. But it’s also due to strategic decisions made by advocates for women’s rights, during a crucial moment in policymaking history, in the face of fierce opposition to leave policies on the part of business interests. Despite its lamentable record, the US may now be closer to enacting some form of paid family leave than at any point in its history. Legislation introduced in both the US House and Senate are gaining support, a handful of states have adopted their own policies, and both major-party candidates for president say they endorse some form of paid leave. (Hillary Clinton wants to cover up to 12 weeks of leave for both parents, while Donald Trump has proposed six weeks of maternity leave only, through an expansion of federal unemployment insurance.) Advocates for paid leave are particularly optimistic that a Clinton presidency might yield a new federal policy. The key differences between the proposal in the Congress, called the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, and Clinton’s proposal, is the funding mechanism. The FAMILY Act borrows from the state models, and would fund paid leave through a modest payroll tax paid by both workers and employers; Clinton, meanwhile, has proposed a new tax on the highest earners.