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Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, called on the United States to expand access to paid family medical leave across the country, citing the impact the global health crisis and economic downturn have had on people. women.
In an interview broadcast on CNBC on Monday, Gates said the Covid-19 pandemic had drawn the curtain on America’s caregiving crisis.
“In rebuilding and in this recovery, Congress will really have to look at paid family sick leave. It is a long time coming to the United States,” she said in a conversation on “Closing Bell. “We’re not going to get as robust or as fast as if we look at this infrastructure that we’ve been away from for too long.”
Gates’ comments coincide with International Women’s Day, a global effort to recognize the achievements of women and the many roles they play in society. While a comprehensive plan is essential for working women, it would also be helpful for fathers and men caring for sick family members.
Paid Family Sick Leave is an insurance program that allows employees to take time off work without missing a paycheck. The program can be used by workers to care for critically ill newborns or family members.
A national policy would put America in line with other developed countries that already grant the privilege to their citizens. The United States is one of the only industrialized countries in the world that does not have such a policy, according to the World Policy Analysis Center at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Nine states have laws that provide benefits to residents, although Gates said that was not enough.
Critics of the idea argue that the program would be a burden on small businesses. Proponents suggest, however, that it could be funded by payroll deductions.
“There are big policies that have been adopted here in the United States, state by state, so it’s time we looked at this for ourselves as a nation,” she said.
While paid time off would benefit the entire workforce, the impact would be particularly beneficial for women, said Gates, mother of three and wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. According to Paid Leave for the United States, a group seeking to advance family leave policies, 1 in 4 mothers in the United States return to work within two weeks of giving birth.
The pandemic, which has led to nearly a year of societal restrictions and non-essential business closings, has left millions of Americans unemployed. The layoffs have pushed women, who leave the labor market at higher rates than men, into a particularly difficult situation.
Since February 2020, more than 2 million women have completely left the labor market, causing their participation rates to drop to proportions not seen since 1988, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
Women are more likely to care for children and other parents, and paid family leave would help them keep their jobs. The program would also offer benefits to men, helping to break standards for caregivers in the country, as men are less likely to take family leave, Gates said.
She noted that the $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill, which Congress is putting the finishing touches on before sending President Joe Biden, includes money for the child care industry, but she urged to do more. She is also encouraged by the record number of women occupying seats in Congress, hoping their views will have an imprint on the discussions.
“Because this crisis in caregiving is here in our faces – you know women are sandwiched between caring for young children and the older generation – I think we’re finally going to see some action there -” low, ”Gates said.
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