Reconciling Work and Family: An International Perspective

1. Reconciling Work and Family:An International Perspective Shirley Gatenio Gabel, PhD Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service

2. The American Family

3. Family Trends • Increase in labor force participation of mothers, especially those with young children • Increase in divorce and separation • Increase in births outside of marriage • Falling birth rates among women • Increase age of first marriage and birth • Increase in smaller family size • Increase in time spent working

4. The New Family

5. Public Policies to Reconcile Work and Family Responsibilities • Maternity Leave • Paternity and Parental Leaves • Family Leave • Accessible and affordable child care • Birth Grants • Child/Family Allowances • Child Tax Credits

6. Maternity Leave Job-protected leaves from employment for employed women sometimes prior to birth and following childbirth (and sometimes adoption). • Some 128 countries currently provide paid and job-protected childbirth-related leave. • Around the world, statutory childbirth-related leaves, both paid and unpaid, average about a year and a half. • The average paid leave is for 16 weeks, which includes pre- and post-birth time off. • In nearly half the countries, the paid leave replaces the full wage (or the maximum covered by social insurance).

7. Leave policies in industrialized countries • Leave is most generous in the Nordic countries when combined with parental leave. Mothers are offered 30-42 weeks of leave will full pay up to an earnings cap. • In most European countries, leave is paid at 80-100% of earnings for 12-16 weeks. • English-speaking countries have least generous leave policies except for Canada who allows for a max. leave of 50 weeks but the benefit is set at 55% of earnings subject to a cap.

8. Paternity and Parental Leaves • Increasingly, leaves are being extended to fathers (paternity leave) or parents are being given the option of which parent can take a leave (parental leave). • 4 countries- Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Sweden - have recently extended their paid parental leaves and mandated that at least 1 month of this addition be a "use it or lose it" option for fathers. • In Austria, 3 years of extended leave is offered, only if the father takes at least 6 months of leave before the child turns 3. • 21 industrialized countries offer extended leave policies. Paternity leaves are job-protected leaves for fathers. Parental leaves are gender-neutral, job-protected leaves following maternity leave.

9. Child Care and Child-rearing Leaves Child-rearing leaves allow either parent to remain at home or work part-time with job-protection and benefits. • Usually, it can be taken over an extended time period, if desired, until a child's third, fifth, or eighth year. • In Finland and Norway parental choice is supported by giving parents a cash benefit that can be used either to supplement income or to purchase care, at parents' option. • There is a growing trend among countries toward universal access to early childhood education and care services. Access is already universal in most countries for 3- 4- and 5- year olds. In several countries access to early childhood education and care is a legal right. 

10. Family Leave • Family leaves to care for an ill child or family members are beginning to be established in Europe as well. An EU directive has mandated such leaves. • Medical evidence and documentation must be provided regarding the child or family member's illness. Sweden also provides paid time off to visit a child's school (and Greece provides unpaid time off for this purpose.) Family Leave allows time off for the care of an ill child or other family members, or to visit a child’s school.

11. US • More than half of all U.S. mothers were returned to work within 3 months of giving birth. • 2/3 of U.S. mothers were back to work by the time their children reached their first birthday.

12. U.S. Family Leave Policy Family Leave provisions are time-limited in the U.S. and paid leave is uncommon. • FMLA • Unpaid, job-protected leave for employees who have worked at least a year in a firm of 50 or more employees. • Temporary Disability Insurance for mothers • CA, Hawaii, NJ, NY & RI (5-13 weeks at $140-$270/week) • At least 40 states have laws or regulations allowing public employees to use sick leave to care for certain sick family members. (AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, IN, IA, KS, KT, MD, MN, MT, NE, NV, NH, NC, ND, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA). • Child care subsidies are targeted, bureaucratic and result in uneven access and quality care. Infant care is the most expensive and most difficult quality care program to access.

13. Innovative Policies in Place • CA is the first state to extend disability benefits to fathers • 6 weeks at 55% wage replacement. • At-Home Infant Care (AHIC) in Minnesota was adopted because it was difficult for many parents to find quality infant child care. • Low-income working parents receive subsidies in lieu of child care vouchers to care for infants under age one at home. Montana and Missouri now have a similar programs.

14. Moving the Agenda Forward • Extend unemployment insurance benefits to new parents during leave (AZ, FL, HI, IL, KS, LA, MD, MA, MN, NE, NJ, NM, OR, PA, TX, and VT) or to employees taking leave to care for a seriously ill family member (IN). • Paid leave bills have been introduced in at least 28 states thus far: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, TX, VT, and WA.

15. Just Imagine…a world in which • Parents, especially mothers were not forced to decide whether economically supporting a child was more important than emotionally supporting a child. • Both parents could work less than full-time when their child was very young and not worry about economic loss and losing health care insurance.