3 reasons to advocate for paid family leave in the United States

by
Jenna Vassallo
Sep 12, 2024
New parents taking paid family leave

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a federal paid family leave mandate. 

While 13 states and Washington D.C. have some state-funded paid leave, it’s largely up to employers to determine what workers receive.

The state of paid leave in this country has significant disparities because of it. 

While some people have access to generous paid leave policies, the vast majority are left without even a single paid day off for life-changing events like the birth of a child or a family illness. 

Despite the clear benefits of paid leave for both employees and businesses, progress at the national level has been slow, leaving millions of Americans without financial means to take time off in the moments they need it the most.

We spoke to Orli Cotel, a parental leave expert and advocate for family-friendly policies, to unpack why we need paid family leave in the United States and what it’ll take to pass it.

Here are 3 key takeaways from the conversation:

1. Paid family leave is imperative for equity: 90% of low-wage workers lack paid leave. Passing a federal family leave policy will ensure that every worker, regardless of their income level, has the support they need during significant life events. 

“There are millions and millions of people who aren't even covered by FMLA to take even one unpaid day off for [critical] life events. Those are the kind of people that we need to fight for.”

2. Paid leave benefits everyone - not just parents: Roughly 80% of American citizens support paid leave, yet only 27% of workers have access to it. Lawmakers need to understand it’s a necessity, not a perk.

“We need to win national paid leave for everyone in this country to be able to be there for their families in the moments that matter. We need to make sure people can be there for their baby's first breaths or their parents' last words.”

3. Private companies can drive public policy: The closest the U.S. has been to passing paid leave is when 350 companies supported the Build Back Better framework. It helps when business leaders are vocal about why paid leave is good for business and the economy.

“Paid leave helps create a whole ecosystem of families that can thrive and it helps employers’ recruitment and retention. So it's really a no brainer when it comes to supporting these policies morally and economically.”

To celebrate all we’ve accomplished, our team shared what they’re most proud of since joining the team:

I'm most proud of how much we have done to improve the single hardest moment for women's careers (going on parental leave) ... one that is often shrouded in insecurity and fear. We've been able to help advocate for so many women (and men!) in a way that is empowering and truly life-changing.

Allison Whalen, CEO & Founder

What am I most proud of? Growth! Growing a category of support that didn't exist before Parentaly. Growing from a one-woman bootstrapped operation to a global team of 25+ employees and coaches. Growing our overall impact for working parents, with companies investing in our parental leave programming to support employees all over the world. And growing as humans: new babies, new friends, new life experiences... all while tackling new and exciting work challenges together.

Rich Burke, Head of Growth

When I reflect on what I am personally most proud of during my time here, it's working alongside a team where we constantly evolve and optimize everything that we do in order to deliver the best possible experience for the folks going through our programs. It sounds cheesy, but there are processes that my team and I used to do 100% manually that are now completely automated and systems in place that have become second nature to how we operate. Working with such thoughtful, smart, and creative people is incredible.

Sara Ophoff, Senior Program Manager

I’m most proud about doing work that makes parents feel confident and empowered about their careers during a time that can be overwhelming and challenging – not only for our clients and users who go through Parentaly’s programs, but also with our advocacy work on LinkedIn, through our podcast and other big campaigns that make a difference. It’s been pretty rewarding to build a brand people know and love because what we’re doing resonates with so many employees’ experiences in the workforce.

Jenna Vassallo, Head of Brand & Marketing

I am so proud of the way we've approached growth with such care and intentionality - with every adjustment we've made to our offerings, we've never lost sight of our goal to provide the most supportive and valuable experience for our users. I love looking back on the early stages of conversations and building that have led us to the experience we offer today. Personally, I am extremely proud of the work I've done to scale and automate our backend!

Rachel Andes, Program Associate

I am most proud of the work we do every single day to make a positive impact on working parents! Everyday I get to work with an amazing group of people…we work hard but we also have fun.

Sarah Gruber, Client Partner

I'm proud of scaling an employee experience that consistently delivers positive outcomes for new parents and their organizations. Our north star has always been the user, and we never sacrifice our high quality bar!

Mansi Kothari, VP of Product & Experience

I feel a sense of pride that I get to work behind the scenes supporting everyone. I’m proud to see all of the collaboration between the team and how Parentaly positively impacts employees.

Leo Manalo, Executive Assistant

I'm most proud of going through the Parentaly program myself! I'm so proud to work for and promote this company in a time where parental leave and supportive policies are at the forefront of a national conversation. But beyond this, I'm most proud to call myself a participant.

Emmy Carragher, Enterprise Partnerships

I’m really proud of the work I did to expand our coaching bench globally at Parentaly. It was so rewarding, not to mention insightful, to connect with talented coaches from around the globe. This expansion not only enriched our coaching offerings but also strengthened our commitment to making a meaningful impact on families all over the world.

Nicole Hagemann-Bex, Senior Coaching Operations Manager

I have tremendous pride in the knowledge that what I am doing will change the career landscape for new parents, particularly mothers. This will make it more likely that my daughter can have a career AND a family without worrying about the unintentional negative impact of taking parental leave. Nothing makes me prouder than that.

Mindy Himmel-Brown, Strategic Partnerships

In my short time at Parentaly, I'm proudest of the work we're doing with our clients' ERG groups to elevate the stories and advice of actual working parents. It's such an impactful way to spread the word about Parentaly as an essential resource for all people growing their families, and the managers who support them!

Alex Diskin, Enterprise Account Manager

I'm most proud about using LinkedIn to connect with others. I was recently able to share a helpful return to work doc with 50+ new people looking to make a difference at their company. Was pretty cool that people from Chewy, McDonald's, Honda, Cisco, AWS, Walmart and more want to integrate just a piece of what we have to offer. Also...I'm so proud of the way I feel as an employee at Parentaly. For the first time in my career my personal interests align with my professional interests and I've never felt more motivated.

Jenny Hurwitz, Strategic Partnerships

I'm really proud of being able to help the Experience team by handling the supportive functions so they can focus on the bigger picture. It feels great to know that I’m making things easier for them and contributing to the team’s success.

James Mango, Executive Assistant
Tagged
Advocacy
Podcast recap
HR & policy
Two people talking about parental leave at a desk

Want tips on how to advocate for better policies from someone who ##won paid leave## for more than 8.5 million Americans?