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Home Research Topics Family & Relationships Family Caregiving
Pew Research CenterSeptember 20, 2018
1. Support for paid leave policies

No consensus about what is the most helpful benefit or work arrangement

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No consensus about what is the most helpful benefit or work arrangement

Post Infographics

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

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