Welcome to Parenthood! Now Get Back to Work.
Your job shouldn’t dictate the ability to bond with your newborn. Here’s how to advocate for paid family leave.
Bringing a child into the world should be a joyous occasion. Unfortunately, one in four women return to work only two weeks after giving birth. Seven in ten men return to work in the same amount of time.
“Is it because they love to work?”
Of course, not. It’s because federal law may give them 12 weeks of protected leave, but that protection covers up to 60% of their salary. I say “up to” because it doesn’t cover a dime for many of these moms, let alone the dads.
So how do we fix this?
Alexis Ohanian is one of the few people in this space I see advocating for universal paid parental leave, taking his mission to Washington, DC, along with the team at Dove Men Care.
This work can’t be done by influential people alone. Like any movement, it will take thousands of everyday folks like us to advocate for our neighbors, ensuring new parents don’t have to choose between bonding with their babies or heading back into the office.
Advocacy takes many forms. You can start by educating yourself, reading books and stories from those who’ve been affected by a lack of Paid Family Leave. Stories like Jessica Rebeschini’s, who worked 45 hours per week, making $4.35 an hour less than two weeks after an emergency C-section.
Use your voice by taking to social media to share your story. The follower amount doesn’t matter. It takes a collection of stories, big and small, to make Paid Family Leave a reality.
You’ll also need to contact politicians. We have the power to shape the laws. Elected officials have the power to create laws.
“Paid Family Leave sounds too expensive.”
I promise you it’s not. In 2021, the CBO estimated that Paid Family Leave for eligible workers would cost the US $200m over a ten-year period. As a reference, $520m of the $800m earmarked for the bi-partisan $800m Paycheck Protection Program never reached most American workers. As a former public servant, I could talk about government budgets all day.
It’s a matter of appetite and priorities.
Building a healthy society starts at the base. Federal Paid Family Leave is the base. That’s the start.
So what’s next?
Search for your Federal representative. Depending on your state, search for your State representative.
Send them an email, a letter, or give them a call (and leave a message).
When you’re communicating, don’t be a jerk. I know recent discourse may make it seem beneficial, but trust me, it’s not.
And in your message, focus on three things:
1. The reason you’re contacting them.
Hi (Congressperson),
My name is Ryan Rucker, and I live in District (number). As a dad of two, I’m contacting you about your position on Federal Paid Family Leave.
2. Your story about what paid leave means to you.
As you may know, the earliest stage of a child’s life is critical for bonding with their parents. Unfortunately, 1 out of every 4 new moms and 7 out of 10 new dads spend less than two weeks with their child before returning to work.
The biggest reason is that most of these parents don’t have access to paid leave, ultimately leaving them to choose between time with their child or returning to work. I believe a lack of Federal Paid Family Leave is harming our country by forcing parents back into the workforce before they’ve adequately bonded with their children.
3. Ask for their plan.
Can you tell me what you’re doing to make Federal Paid Leave accessible for all your constituents? Even if you support it, I’d be curious as to how you plan to do to make Federal Paid Family Leave law.
Thanks for your time, and all my best to you and your family.
You can use this as a template or create your own, but each congressperson has staff who go through every letter, email, and voicemail. Some are better at it than others, but listening to their constituents is their literal job. Put them to work.
And if your organization has Paid Leave Benefits worthy of publicizing, please, publicize these benefits at a federal level. Paid Family Leave can’t simply be a recruiting or retention tool to improve your business. Request that your representatives follow your lead on Paid Family Leave and advocate for it until it’s the law.
Becoming a new parent is stressful enough. The ability to bond with your baby shouldn’t depend on where you work.