- Workers report more access to paid family leave than their employers do, pointing toward more informal arrangements and use of other forms of leave, such as vacation time.
- GETTY IMAGES
Democrats have been harping on the campaign trail about the U.S. being the only industrialized country that doesn’t mandate a single day of paid leave for new mothers.
As of 2015, 12% of private-sector workers had access to paid family leave, according to the Labor Department. But in 2011, another government report found that 48% of workers said they could access paid leave for “family” reasons. (Though fewer workers—only 39%—reported access to paid leave for the birth of a child.)
What’s behind the gap?
The disparity starts with who one asks: The latter figures come from the 2011 American Time Use Survey, which asks workers about their access to leave. The former, smaller figure comes from the National Compensation Survey, which asks employers about the benefits they offer. (Note: “family leave” refers to “the ability to take leave for a family illness, elder care, child care, or the birth of a child,” according to an analysis of the time-use survey data by the White House.)
That suggests that a significant share of workers feel they can make informal arrangements with employers to take paid time off when they need it. That’s how Republicans, who uniformly oppose a federal mandate for universal paid family leave, say it should be: up to businesses to decide.
But the trend appears to be heading toward more, not less, paid leave, especially for higher-skilled workers. In recent years, a growing list of employers, many of them in the technology sector or the Fortune 500, are boosting their paid-leave offerings to attract and retain talent. Cities and counties are pushing for paid leave, too, meaning that 12% figure could climb by the next time it’s measured. But it will still be far from 100%—and both surveys show that paid leave goes disproportionately to more educated and higher-earning workers.
Related reading:
Family Leave Hits the Campaign Trail
Wall Street Perk: Parental Leave
Susan Wojcicki: Paid Maternity Leave Is Good for Business
The Earnings Gap Between Married and Non-Married Moms is Widening
More U.S. Women Are Going Childless
In 18 Nations, Women Cannot Get a Job Without Their Husband’s Permission
from Real Time Economics http://ift.tt/1Pha013
No comments:
Post a Comment