Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
1. Support for paid leave policies
Americans are divided on whether the federal government should require employers to provide paid leave for family or medical reasons
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- 1. Support for paid leave policies
- Of four policies tested, proposals in which paid leave benefits are provided directly from the government receive the least support
- About three-quarters say if employers or government were to provide paid leave following birth or adoption, both mothers and fathers should be eligible
- Support for a federal mandate is lowest among those who oppose paid leave
- Americans are divided on whether the federal government should require employers to provide paid leave for family or medical reasons
- About four-in-ten who support paid leave say mothers should receive pay for 12 weeks or more
- Among those who support paid leave, most say pay should come from employers
- More support for paid leave among Democrats than among Republicans and independents
- Significant age divides on views of paid paternity leave
- Most Americans say workers should receive paid family and medical leave
- About half of leave takers with a bachelor’s degree, higher imcomes say they had to respond to work-related communication
- Paid leave survey methodology
- Physical recovery cited more than any other item as factor in deciding who would take more time off after the birth or adoption of a child
- About family-leave takers ages 50 to 64, about half were caring for a seriously ill parent
- About two-thirds of women who took family leave say they were the primary caregiver for their ill family member
- Men, women offer somewhat different views of the impact of taking parental or family leave on their job or career
- Hispanics and those with lower incomes are particularly likely to say it was difficult to learn about leave benefits
- About half of leave takers with a bachelor’s degrees, higher incomes say they had to respond to work-related communication
- Fewer than half of lower-income leave takers say their supervisor was very supportive when they took time off
- Nearly all leave takers who received full pay say they went back to work for the same employer
- Many lower-income parental-leave takers say they took on debt, went on public assistance or put off paying bills to cover lost wages or salary
- About three-in-ten leave takers who received pay combined two or more benefits
- About eight-in-ten leave takers who received pay used vacation days, sick leave or PTO they had earned
- Leave takers with lower incomes and less education are the least likely to say they received at least some pay
- Most who took less time off than they needed or wanted to cite loss of wages or salary as a reason
- Just over half of parental-leave takers say they took less time off from work than they needed or wanted to
- Length of parental leave varies considerably by gender, type of employer and income
- Demographic differences emerge when looking at those who needed or wanted to take leave but weren’t able to
- About half of workers say they received full pay when they took time off from the work for parental, family or medical reasons
- About a quarter of workers took time off for parental, family or medical reasons in the past two years
- About four-in-ten who say children are better off with a parent working part time or not working outside the home say this parent should be the mother
- Few say having two full-time working parents is the ideal situation for children in two-parent households
- Women 18 to 29 more likely than male counterparts to say employers pressure mothers and fathers equally to return to work quickly after birth or adoption
- Most say mothers want to take more time off from work than fathers after birth or adoption
- About seven-in-ten say it’s important for new babies to have equal time to bond with their mothers and fathers
- When it comes to caring for a new baby, about half say mothers do a better job than fathers
- Women are twice as likely as men to say caregiving responsibilities fall mainly on women
- When it comes to men, more say society places greater value on contributions they make at work than at home
- In caring for a new baby or a seriously ill family member, many say women would do a better job than men
- About six-in-ten of those without employer-paid family and medical leave say they are satisfied with benefits and that employer cares about employee well-being
- Lower-income workers are the least satisfied with their benefits
- About four-in-ten Americans say their employer offers paid family and medical leave
- Paid leave seen as particularly helpful among those who have taken or needed or wanted time off for family or medical reasons
- No consensus about what is the most helpful benefit or work arrangement
- Democrats more likely than Republicans to see impact of paid leave as positive
- Most say access to paid family and medical leave for all Americans would be positive for families, women, men and the economy
- Republicans more likely than Democrats and independents to say workers commonly abuse paid leave
- Majority see advantage in employee recruitment and retention for employers that provide paid leave
- Views about trade-offs vary across demographic groups, party affiliation
- Most say employers that provide paid leave can afford to do without trade-offs; three-in-ten say the same about small businesses
- Of four policies tested, proposals in which paid leave benefits are provided directly from the government receive the least support