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Paid leave is popular. We know that. Surveys have backed up what is common-sense for decades: Every single one of us is going to give or receive care in our lives, and nothing is more important to us than being able to do so without fear of losing our job or our home when we do.
But here’s the news flash: Support for paid family and medical leave programs is higher than ever before. Higher than the percentage of Americans who think they’re paying too much in taxes, higher than support for the Affordable Care Act, higher than concern for many environmental issues or support for limits on credit card fees. This week, Paid Leave for All Action and our partners released new polling showing that a record 85 percent of voters in battleground states favor paid family, parental, and medical leave — and people from all walks of life are motivated to vote by it. We found historic numbers: 96 percent of young voters of color and 84 percent of suburban women are in favor of paid leave. Women across race — including 91 percent of Black women, 74 percent of Latina women, and 63 percent of white women — are motivated to vote based on it. We even found that 80 percent of Millennial and Gen Z low-turnout voters were motivated to go to the polls by it. And, what’s more, we found that these voters were motivated not just by paid leave, but by a larger agenda of freedom and family. Voters in these states were much more likely to support a candidate who is in favor of both paid leave and the right to an abortion, as well as holistic care policies, including affordable access to paid leave, child care, and home and community-based care.
A record 85 percent of voters in battleground states favor paid family, parental, and medical leave.
But how often do you hear your candidates running on or even talking about these issues? Or your news anchors? We found in our research that the pundits and the people are often having very different conversations. Polls, headlines, and campaign consultants tend to focus on “economic” and “pocketbook” issues, naming the price at the pump and the rising cost of milk as top of mind for voters. But what could be more important to your pocketbook than the ability to choose whether or not to have a family, to take time off work after giving birth or when a loved one is ill, the ability to support a family at all? For the record, average annual spending on gas is around $5,000, while the average cost of childbirth in the United States is $18,865. Milk costs families less than $200 per year, on average, while child care is upwards of $10,600. Workers lose more than $20 billion in wages every year because they don’t have access to paid leave — and how do you calculate the emotional price of not having paid leave when a crisis strikes or a new baby arrives? Don’t be fooled — the struggle to make ends meet for your family isn’t your personal failing. It’s the failure of a country to provide the basic policy infrastructure of all of its peers.
We are one of the only countries in the world without any form of national paid leave for its people. Only one in four workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their job, and one in four women have gone back to work within two weeks of giving birth. Increasingly, we are caring for both children and aging parents at the same time. Meanwhile, Americans are facing a terrifying reality of forced births in the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling, a soaring maternal mortality rate, and a caregiving crisis that started well before COVID — and that will only grow without intervention. This is unsustainable, and it impacts both businesses’ bottom lines and our own financial security. It impacts all of us.
Now, the good news: We can change all of this. And we already are. More men are sharing their care stories from the news desk; more candidates and leaders are becoming vocal champions, including original paid leave bill co-sponsors and supporters like Congressman Jimmy Gomez (have you seen his son Hodge?) and President Biden. When candidates run on paid leave, they win (see: Rep. Chrissy Houlahan). And women decide elections and referendums (looking at you, Kansas and Ohio). So here’s what we need to do.
First, vote in every election. Make it known that you expect your federal candidates to put paid leave at the top of their agenda and your members of Congress to deliver. Tweet at them or comment on their social media posts. Email them and call their offices (really, this stuff works). Even better, ask them in person at a rally or town hall: Will they champion a federal paid family and medical leave policy so that no one has to choose between their life and their livelihood again? Support leaders who do. Share your own caregiving story and why paid leave matters to you. Follow Paid Leave for All’s work on social media (you can easily reach out to your elected officials via our website).
It’s not just about the crisis ahead if we don’t act, it’s about the enormous opportunity if we do.
Passing paid leave with other care policies would yield millions of jobs, billions in wages, and trillions in GDP. It would lead to better health outcomes for whole families and communities. It would reduce the pay gap and maternal mortality rates, and increase gender and racial equity. It would open up whole new life paths and possibilities. It would result in greater peace of mind and improved wellbeing. A care-focused agenda in this country would bring people together, would remind us of our common humanity and of what matters most.
This election, voters have told us that they will support candidates who fight for both freedom and family. It would serve more candidates, campaigns, and commentators to take note — and elected officials to join the fight for paid leave. Let’s change the conversation and make it louder until candidates and Congress have no choice but to listen — and to act.
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