We all need time to care — for new babies, for aging parents, for loved ones with health needs or disabilities, or for helping ourselves.
Yet many Marylanders can’t take time to care because they lack paid family leave. Only 17% of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave and fewer than 40% have paid personal leave for short-term disabilities. Unpaid leave forces too many Americans, especially those whose needs are the greatest, to choose between income and family when illness strikes, when new babies arrive, or when the needs of a family member with a disability intensify. Nearly 25% of women, for example, take 10 or fewer days of parental leave, potentially putting themselves and their children at risk physically and emotionally.
Make Time to Care a Reality in Maryland
Legislation establishing a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program would make paid leave available to Maryland workers for up to 12 weeks following the birth or adoption of a child and when needed to provide care for a family member or oneself. The leave would be funded through an insurance pool, into which workers and their employers contribute.
Let’s Join Hands
We need your help. Join a coalition of stakeholders representing diverse groups who value time for caring. Sign up for coalition updates and get information about making a Maryland where every family has the time to care.
This post is the first in a series on paid family leave and Maryland's Time to Care Act.
Next Up: How strong paid family leave policies help children by helping their parents.
Save the Date: Join us on October 16 at 1:00 in Annapolis for a Paid Family Leave Briefing before the Joint Committee for Children, Youth, and Families
Questions? Contact Beth Morrow at bmorrow@marylandfamilynetwork.org
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