Working Parents and the FMLA

 This post is by current Wills, Trusts & Estates student, Regent 2L, Rebekah D. Bunch:

In society today, more women work full or part time and more men are taking on childcare responsibilities. Despite these changes, the United States has not mandated that these families be provided with paid parental leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) mandates that only certain employees are provided up to 12 weeks of “unpaid, job-protected leave per year.” These certain employees are employees that “have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles.” The FMLA applies to public agencies, private and public elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. Eligible employees of these employers will receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the following child-related reasons: the birth and care of a newborn child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

The United States should provide, I proffer, paid parental leave for multiple reasons. First, new parents have new financial obligations, as it is no secret how expensive pregnancy, birth, and a child can be. Parents should have the opportunity to spend time bonding with their child and adjusting to their new life without the worry of lost income during their family leave. Secondly, these first weeks after birth are crucial for both parents and child. Having just brought a new life into the world, it is important that parents have ample time to adjust to life with a new baby, and learn about their child, as well as gain parenting skills. Lastly, paid parental leave will give fathers as well as mothers the opportunity to bond more with their child and be there for their wife at this critical time. If parents were provided with paid leave, more fathers would take that leave to care for their healing wife and become more involved in the childcare responsibilities.

Giving working parents the opportunity to focus on their families when a new child joins their family could go a long way in restoring families across society today.