The numbers don’t lie.
Sixty-two percent of Americans report they have taken or are very likely to take time off work for family or medical reasons at some point, according to Pew research.
Twenty-five million working Americans say they currently provide unpaid care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
$31.9 billion is lost each year in wages. $775 billion in GDP is being left behind. Yet too many still believe a paid family leave policy would be too costly to implement — even as the costs of doing nothing are rising exponentially.
The U.S. is the only country among 41 developed nations that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents, according to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
It’s past time to ask ourselves why. Now that women make up a large portion of the workforce, they find themselves having to juggle both work and parenting responsibilities. In addition, growth of the aging population in the U.S. is skyrocketing, creating more working caregivers than have ever existed before. Not to mention those of the “sandwich generation,” who provide care for both their own children and aging parents simultaneously.
American workers need help. And the costs to those workers — and the U.S. economy as a whole — will continue to grow until policies are put in place that will generate a more sustainable well-being for all.
Legislation to remedy the problem has been introduced repeatedly. It has failed every time.
Once again in September, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, reintroduced legislation as the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act of 2025.
Currently, 73% of American workers do not have access to paid leave despite a large body of research showing that it improves workers’ mental health, boosts employee retention and productivity and helps businesses, according to a news release issued by the two women.
Americans must come together to find a solution. The FAMILY Act offers one.
The bill would create a comprehensive national program that helps meet the needs of new parents and people with serious personal or family health issues through a shared fund that makes paid leave affordable for employers of all sizes, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.
The legislation would need strong bipartisan support to advance. We can see the value of paid medical leave from the success of current programs.
According to 2025 Kaiser Family Foundation data, 13 states (and the District of Columbia) have paid family and medical leave programs. Eighteen states have paid sick leave programs. Indiana is not one of them. (Although an executive order did create a parent leave policy for state employees.)
Other federal laws, like the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act, which provides up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave to qualifying federal employees, is anticipated to save the federal government $50 million in costs, according to 2020 reporting by the progressive Center for American Progress.
From 2009 through 2018, an analysis by CAP found that the total estimated cost to workers due to a lack of access to both affordable child care and comprehensive paid family and medical leave has increased to $31.9 billion in annual lost wages.
A national FAMILY Act would reduce poverty rates; keep new mothers in the workforce with increases in their wages; help fathers become more involved parents; improve newborn and child health and enable mothers to get to the doctor more often. It would enable caregivers to help ill parents, spouses and children stay healthy to reduce recurrent care needs, according to research by the National Partnership for Women & Families.
On a larger scale, the United States would add $775 billion to its GDP per year if women participated in the labor force at rates similar to those in comparable countries with more robust work/ family policies, according to the research.
The report also shows nearly eight in 10 small business owners support enacting a national paid family and medical leave program. “The FAMILY Act would spread the cost of leave, reducing the burden on individual employers and allowing many more workers to access paid leave. Paid leave contributes to reduced turnover and increased employee engagement and loyalty, leading to significant employer cost savings,” the report stated.
Yet the country continues to reject paid leave. By opting out, America loses more than it gains, leaving the livelihoods of its people behind.
The rest of the industrialized world has found a solution. It’s time we came up with one as well.
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