Paid leave helps workers care for family members with disabilities. ■ Approximately 2 in 5 adults report caring for an adult or child with significant health issues. This caregiving is most often unpaid and can impact own employment. one’s Access to PFML can help workers balance their personal care needs while working and providing support to a family member. Paid leave improves family well-being and health. For a parent, PFML can ■ have positive effects on own emotional health as well as the physical and one’s emotional health of child. By empowering families with more flexibility and one’s resources, paid leave may even help mitigate the impacts of gender and race on expectations and arrangements. Women of color, who disproportionally lack any paid leave, may especially benefit from increased access. Access to paid leave is particularly limited for individuals with disabilities ■ and their families— especially those who are low-income, women, people, LGBTQ, and/or people of color. Workers with disabilities are more likely to be in part-time, low-wage jobs that often even basic benefits—much less paid family and don’t offer medical leave. Over 2 in 3 part-time workers have even one sick day. Workers don’t with disabilities are twice as likely as workers without disabilities to be part-time. The U.S. has no national paid family and medical leave program, and lags ■ far behind peer nations in the world, who typically offer robust national paid family and medical leave programs. National momentum for paid leave is growing, with a handful of states leading the way. Over 3 in 4 voters and 7 in 10 small businesses support creating a national PFML program. A national system of universal and equitable paid leave that fully includes ■ people with disabilities and their families should include measures that expand coverage and job protections; increase stability and security; and ensure robust, accessible public outreach and education.
■ Paid leave helps workers care for family members with disabilities. Approximately 2 in 5 adults report caring for an adult or child with significant health issues. This caregiving is most often unpaid and can impact one’s own employment. Access to PFML can help workers balance their personal care needs while working and providing support to a family member. ■ Paid leave improves family well-being and health. For a parent, PFML can have positive effects on one’s own emotional health as well as the physical and emotional health of one’s child. By empowering families with more flexibility and resources, paid leave may even help mitigate the impacts of gender and race on expectations and arrangements. Women of color, who disproportionally lack any paid leave, may especially benefit from increased access. ■ Access to paid leave is particularly limited for individuals with disabilities and their families— especially those who are low-income, women, people, LGBTQ, and/or people of color. Workers with disabilities are more likely to be in part-time, low-wage jobs that often don’t offer even basic benefits—much less paid family and medical leave. Over 2 in 3 part-time workers don’t have even one sick day. Workers with disabilities are twice as likely as workers without disabilities to be part-time. ■ The U.S. has no national paid family and medical leave program, and lags far behind peer nations in the world, who typically offer robust national paid family and medical leave programs. National momentum for paid leave is growing, with a handful of states leading the way. Over 3 in 4 voters and 7 in 10 small businesses support creating a national PFML program. ■ A national system of universal and equitable paid leave that fully includes people with disabilities and their families should include measures that expand coverage and job protections; increase stability and security; and ensure robust, accessible public outreach and education.
Georgetown_PFML-fact-sheet_Dec17.docx