Even after a global pandemic swept through the nation’s workforce, the United States remains one of only a few countries without a permanent paid family leave policy. Although temporary paid extensions to the current national, unpaid family and medical leave policy were enacted, the expiration of these policies leaves employees without needed job and income protections. Despite historic job losses and nearly 2.5 million women leaving the workforce, current paid leave proposals have yet to gather enough support to pass in Congress and still lack the comprehensive assistance necessary to support the workforce they are aimed at protecting.
This Note acknowledges that some state and private paid leave programs are already in place. It recommends, however, broader protections in the form of a comprehensive paid family leave program, which is imperative to fill the gaps and to facilitate an inclusive economic recovery.
a.J.D. Candidate, 2022, University of Illinois College of Law; B.S., 2018, Bradley University. Thank you to the University of Illinois Law Review staff, members, and editors for their continued support and hard work. I would also like to thank Professor Sean Anderson for his invaluable guidance throughout the writing process. This Note is dedicated to my late Grandma Joyce and Aunt Peg who have always been my greatest inspiration.
The full text of this Note is available to download as a PDF.