Exam 14: Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

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While the United States does not mandate maternity, paternity, or parental leave, the Family and Medical Leave Act, signed in 1993, grants workers in companies of 50 or more employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child and for the care of a sick child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition. It also guarantees job security, in that an employee is entitled to return to the same or a comparable job. In addition, it requires the employer to maintain health benefits as if the employee had never taken leave. In 2015, the Family and Medical Leave Act was extended to include legally married same-sex spouses. Critics of the Family and Medical Leave Act note that the policy is limited in scope. Only employers with 50 or more employees must provide leave, so it is estimated that the policy covers only about half of U.S. employees. Furthermore, because it is unpaid, most single parents and low-income couples can't afford to take it even if given the opportunity.
The United States was one of the last industrialized nations to establish a family leave policy. However, at the time the law was signed, more than 30 states had already adopted some form of leave policy. Indeed, today, state legislation may provide more extensive benefits than does the federal legislation. In 2002, California enacted a paid family leave law and Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New York have since established paid family leave programs as well. Laws in these states require full or partial wage replacement for up to 6 weeks to enable an employee to care for a newborn or newly adopted child or to care for a family member who is suffering from a serious medical condition. Washington, D.C. will put paid family leave into effect in 2020.