This September, CSSP Senior Policy Analyst Elisa Minoff spoke with Kali Daughtery, a working mother, to discuss the lack of paid family leave in the United States. This year, Kali was pregnant with her second child and was expecting 12 weeks of paid maternity leave in her current job. However, she later discovered that she was only eligible for six weeks at 60% pay due to having been at the company for less than a year.
While Kali will use a combination of family support and creative work assignments to care for her newborn daughter, the lack of comprehensive paid family leave in the U.S. creates financial strain and undue stress on parents like Kali across the country. These challenges also impact a parent’s ability to bond with their newborn child—a time in a new parent’s life that is precious and limited.
During the interview, Kali advocates for a comprehensive paid leave policy that would:
- Provide universal coverage
- Support all parents regardless of job tenure
- Enable both parents to take family leave
- Recognize the critical importance of early childhood and parental bonding
The United States stands alone among democracies worldwide in its approach to parental leave. As Elisa points out in the interview, the U.S. is one of only seven countries—alongside Papua New Guinea and a handful of Pacific islands—that does not have a national paid maternity leave policy. It’s time for the U.S. to enact a national paid family leave policy that supports new parents and families so they can focus on what matters most: caring for their newborn children.
Watch the conversation to learn more:
UPDATE: On Thursday, October 31, 2024, Kali gave birth to a healthy baby girl! We wish Kali and her family all the best in this exciting and joyful new chapter.
