Women and Politics
Paid Parental Leave in the United States: Still Optional, Still Inequitable, Still Failing Families
In the United States, having a child is treated less like a social responsibility and more like a personal inconvenience. If you are lucky, your employer offers paid parental leave. If you are unlucky, you return to work days or weeks after giving birth, healing from surgery, learning how to keep a newborn alive, and pretending that exhaustion is not swallowing you whole.
This is not a secret. It is not a new problem. And yet, in 2025, the United States still does not guarantee paid parental leave at the federal level.
That failure is not accidental. It is a policy choice.
What the United States Actually Guarantees
At the federal level, the primary law governing parental leave is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), passed in 1993. FMLA allows eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, or for serious medical needs.
Unpaid is the key word.
FMLA also excludes millions of workers. Employees must work for a covered employer, have worked there for at least 12 months, and meet hourly requirements. Small businesses are exempt. Gig workers are excluded. Many low wage and hourly workers never qualify.
In other words, the people who need paid leave the most are the least likely to have access to it.
Unpaid leave is not a solution for families living paycheck to paycheck. You cannot budget your way out of zero income.
The Patchwork of State Policies
Because the federal government has failed to act, states have stepped in. As of 2025, a growing number of states offer paid family and medical leave programs. These programs vary widely, but they typically provide partial wage replacement for several weeks, funded through payroll contributions.
States like California, New York, Washington, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, and others have demonstrated that paid leave is not only possible, but sustainable. Workers take time to care for new children. Employers adapt. Economies do not collapse.
But access still depends on geography.
If you give birth in one state, you may receive months of paid leave. Cross a state line, and you may receive nothing at all. Family support should not depend on your ZIP code.
The United States as a Global Outlier
Among wealthy nations, the United States stands almost entirely alone.
Other developed countries guarantee paid parental leave, often for months or even a year. Many include protections for both parents. Some provide job security, income replacement, and healthcare continuity as a baseline expectation.
In the United States, paid leave is framed as a luxury or a perk, rather than a necessity. We treat caregiving as a private choice rather than a public good.
This framing has consequences. It signals whose labor matters and whose does not. It tells parents, especially mothers, that their time is disposable.
Who Is Hurt the Most
The lack of paid parental leave does not affect all families equally.
Low income workers are far less likely to have employer provided leave. Workers of color are disproportionately excluded. Single parents are forced into impossible choices between income and caregiving. Parents of children with medical needs face even greater pressure.
For families already navigating disability, premature birth, postpartum complications, or mental health challenges, unpaid leave is not just stressful. It is dangerous.
Paid parental leave is not simply about bonding. It is about health outcomes, financial stability, and long term equity.
What Paid Leave Actually Does
Research consistently shows that paid parental leave improves maternal health, reduces postpartum depression, increases breastfeeding duration, and improves infant health outcomes. It increases workforce attachment rather than weakening it.
Paid leave allows parents to return to work healthier and more stable. It reduces employee turnover. It lowers long term healthcare costs.
Despite this, opponents continue to frame paid leave as too expensive or burdensome. The evidence does not support that claim. States with paid leave programs have shown that costs are manageable and benefits are widespread.
The question is not whether paid leave works. The question is whether we are willing to prioritize families.
The Political Stalemate
Paid parental leave enjoys broad public support across party lines. Most Americans agree that parents should not be forced back to work immediately after having a child.
And yet, Congress has repeatedly failed to pass a comprehensive federal paid leave policy. Proposals stall. Negotiations collapse. Families wait.
Some lawmakers argue that the private market should solve the problem. Others insist on employer based solutions or temporary tax credits. These approaches maintain inequality by tying support to employment status rather than human need.
A child’s first weeks of life should not depend on corporate generosity.
What Real Federal Policy Would Look Like
A meaningful federal paid parental leave policy would be universal, inclusive, and simple.
It would cover all workers, including part time and gig workers. It would provide sufficient wage replacement to make leave financially possible. It would protect jobs and healthcare coverage. It would recognize caregiving as essential labor.
Other countries have already proven this can be done. Several U.S. states have proven it can be done. The barrier is not feasibility. It is political will.
Why This Is a Feminist Issue and a Family Issue
Paid parental leave is often framed as a women’s issue, but that framing is incomplete.
When leave is unpaid or unavailable, women disproportionately exit the workforce or suffer long term career penalties. When leave is paid and shared, caregiving becomes more equitable and families are stronger.
Paid leave supports fathers, adoptive parents, and nontraditional families. It acknowledges that raising children is work, and that work deserves support.
This is not about special treatment. It is about baseline dignity.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Every year without federal paid parental leave is a year where families struggle unnecessarily. It is a year where health outcomes worsen, inequality deepens, and parents are forced to choose between survival and caregiving.
We do not lack evidence. We lack action.
Paid parental leave is not radical. It is overdue.
Until the United States treats families as something worth investing in, the promise of support will remain conditional, unequal, and insufficient. And parents will continue to pay the price for a system that refuses to care for those doing the work of raising the next generation.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla - PolitiFact.
It’s true: The U.S. is an outlier on paid parental leave. (April 16, 2024).
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/apr/16/lisa-subeck/its-true-the-us-is-an-outlier-on-paid-parental-lea/ - Center for American Progress.
The State of Paid Family and Medical Leave in the U.S. in 2025.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-state-of-paid-family-and-medical-leave-in-the-u-s-in-2025/ - National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Paid Family Leave: State Action.
https://www.ncsl.org/human-services/supporting-children-and-families-with-paid-leave - Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center.
State Paid Family and Medical Leave Policies.
https://pn3policy.org/pn-3-state-policy-roadmap-2025/us/paid-family-medical-leave/ - U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau.
Understanding Equity in Paid Leave.
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WB/pdf/UnderstandingEquityInPaidLeaveMicrosimulationNationalReport.pdf - U.S. Department of Labor.
Paid Leave Could Reduce Poverty and Improve Economic Security. (November 2024).
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/wb/wb20241121 - New America, Better Life Lab.
How States Are Leading the Way on Paid Leave.
https://www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/blog/paid-leave-states-lead-the-way/ - Associated Press.
New York to require paid leave for prenatal care.
https://apnews.com/article/722af41d72a2a85261921493500ba944 - Associated Press.
Alabama grants paid parental leave for state employees.
https://apnews.com/article/5a7c8b9013441b05d2ac3b3df47007e6