30
WOMEN'S
LEADERSHIP
The rise of parental leave
By Alexis Kayser
I
n the evolving American workforce, flexibility is king, and parental
leave is expanding across the country — to workplaces' dismay, e
Wall Street Journal reported April 8.
Births have increased the past two years, and workplace policies
are shiing to accommodate parents' needs. In seven states and
Washington, D.C., paid parental leave is now required. Eleven states
will require it by 2026, and private employers are expanding such
benefits nationwide. On ZipRecruiter, jobs that actively advertise paid
parental leave have increased fivefold since before the pandemic.
More parents are taking advantage of parental leave: especially fathers,
according data from the U.S Census Bureau. In 2023, parental leave
work absences for men are up 183 percent from 2018. For women,
they're up 13 percent. On average, 335,700 women and 76,500 men
are on parental leave in any given month.
Length of leave is also increasing. e average mother takes 120 days
of leave, compared to 110 in 2019; and fathers are taking 60, up from
45, according to leave-management platform Sparrow.
Infants reap many benefits from having their parents home, including
lower mortality rates, better child test scores and higher adult
earnings. ese perks are an investment in the economic future,
Emily Oster, PhD, an economics professor at Providence, R.I.-based
Brown University, told the Journal.
But at least for the short-term, lengthening parental leave can cost
workplaces. Someone has to do the work le behind by new parents
and national companies have to handle state-by-state laws on parental
leave.
Employers aren't the only ones who feel the crunch.
Falling behind is still "a big problem for parents," Shawna Freeman
Lane, EdD, a business professor at Highline College in Washington
state, told the Journal. "You are likely to lose footing on projects and
work that you helped lead or build because someone else will be forced
to take it over." n
ADVERTISINGINDEX
Note: Ad page number(s) given in parentheses
CareCredit. carecredit.com/beckers / (855) 827-8068 (pg. 3)
CHG Healthcare. chghealthcare.com/people-tech (pg. 2)
LeanTaaS. leantaas.com/transform (pg. 32)
Mod Op. lument.com / (917) 392-9956 (pg. 21)
Multiview Financial. multiviewcorp.com (pg. 5)
NRC Health. nrchealth.com/godeeper (pgs. 22-23)
Philips. usa.philips.com (pg. 31)
TeamHealth. teamhealth.com/obgyn / teamhealth.com/services (pgs. 11-14)
