Paid Parental Leave Policies

Abstract

Despite evidence of the benefits of paid parental leave policies on maternal and child health, the United States remains the only high-income country without guaranteed paid parental leave. Since California implemented the first paid parental leave program in 2004, seven additional states have initiated programs, and five states will do so in the near future. In this column, I review federal parental leave policies in the United States, the relatively recent development of paid parental leave across states, and research findings and recommendations from professional organizations that support the implementation of a federal parental leave policy or state-led initiatives.