Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family

The United States is the only country, as it does not have a permanent national paid vacation policy. outlier Across the developed world, it jeopardizes the jobs, economic security and health of workers, and the growth of national economies as a whole. And while these negative effects are being felt nationwide, this policy gap is affecting LGBTQI+ people. the following Access to care from traditional family structures in a specific way.

Today, nearly 1 in 4 private sector workers do not get a single day of paid sick leave for themselves or their family members, and more than 3 in 4 private sector workers No paid family leave to cover serious care needs. According to 2020 data, 37% of LGBTQI+ workers reported that their current employer did not provide paid family or sick leave, and LGBTQI+ workers were unable to obtain at least some level of paid leave for health and care. Leave is less likely to be available than regular workers. needs. Policy makers must act to create paid leave policies that reflect diverse caregiving relationships to better support workers and meet the needs of LGBTQI+ individuals.

According to US Census Bureau data, the vast majority of American households (82.2%) have moved away from the traditional nuclear family structure. * In fact, millions of people rely This is a support structure that is particularly important for LGBTQI+ individuals, but is often excluded in government definitions of family used to determine access to rights, resources and benefits, including paid leave policies. . New data from the Center for American Progress’s nationally representative survey sheds light on care support systems and the role of selected family members for LGBTQI+ adults and all adults**. These data underscore the importance of selected family members in care arrangements and adopt comprehensive paid leave policies at the state and federal levels.

CAP data highlights the importance of family choice for LGBTQI+ individuals

Too often LGBTQI+ people face Discrimination, stigma, conflict and rejection by family of origin. For example, according to CAP’s 2022 survey, 34% of her LGBTQI+ adults, including 49% of transgender or nonbinary adults and 37% of her LGBTQI+ people of color, were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. reported leaving their family to avoid Gender identity, or intersex status. Strained relationships with members of the family of origin can make LGBTQI+ people dependent on the family of choice. like that A close friend, an informal support network, or a legally unmarried partner.

As part of an ongoing effort to better understand caregiver support networks for LGBTQI+ people, CAP’s 2022 survey asked both LGBTQI+ and non-LGBTQI+ respondents: Nursing care support? Respondents were able to select multiple options.

Both LGBTQI+ and non-LGBTQI+ respondents reported dependence on their biologically or legally related family members in similar proportions. However, LGBTQI+ people are twice as likely than non-LGBTQI+ people to turn to their chosen family members, i.e. “close friends who are like family to me”, when they have to take time off from work for health reasons. was. (28 percent compared to 14 percent). Her 35% of transgender adults and her 30% of her LGBTQI+ people of color reported the same.

LGBTQI+ people were also more likely than non-LGBTQI+ people to report relying on a spouse or partner who was “not legally married or legally registered” (12% 29%). In contrast, non-LGBTQI+ people were significantly more likely than LGBTQI+ people to rely on a spouse or partner who was “legally married or legally registered” (30% 55% against).

More broadly, elected families are an important support system for all adults, but especially for LGBTQI+ people. More than half (51%) of LGBTQI+ adults say they have a specific family member when they have a health-related need, compared to more than one of her three non-LGBTQI+ adults (36%). I am reporting that I have asked for help. Similarly, almost half (46%) of non-LGBTQI+ people said they were asked to support health-related needs by their chosen family members, while an even higher proportion of LGBTQI+ people reported that experience. tended to (58%). .

Overall, these findings suggest that many adults, especially LGBTQI+ people, turn to their chosen family members for care when ill.

Current State of U.S. Vacation Policy

Today, no federal law guarantees the right to paid leave for caregiving or other reasons. This puts the US out of sync with its economic peers. most countries The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guarantees the right to paid time off to address family health needs.Lack of paid leave for nursing care bring down the economy Factors include reducing caregiver labor force participation, presenting challenges to employment retention, and reducing productivity. Also, the existing federal law that provides unpaid leave for covered workers, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), does not cover the care of unmarried partners and other selected family members. However, many states and cities are moving to enact their own paid family leave, medical leave, and paid sick leave laws that comprehensively define the definition of family.

The inclusive family definition has a strong track record at both the state and federal levels.At the national level, the federal government funeral leave For the battle-related deaths of select families, dating back to the Vietnam War. In 1994, the Federal Employee Family Friendly Leave Act enabled federal employees to take paid sick leave to care for a family member. definition of family It is broadly defined as “any individual with whom the employee is related by blood or kinship whose close relationship amounts to a family relationship”. 2015 Executive Order of then-President Barack Obama Extending this definition Grants paid sick and safe time that can be used to care for selected family members, among other uses, including certain federal contractors. And in 2020, the Family First Coronavirus Response Act was temporarily offered. emergency paid leave In connection with COVID-19, covered workers provide care For a wide range of loved ones, including relationships with care needs and expectations.

Many states also adopt broad definitions of family, including selected family members, in their paid family and medical leave programs. In 2019, New Jersey first state Domestically, workers can extend protection under current law and reach out to their loved ones by allowing them to take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for family members of their choice. increase.Washington state similarly modified Existing Paid Family and Medical Leave Laws Include “individuals who regularly live in the employee’s home, or whose relationship creates an expectation that the employee will care for them and who is dependent on them for care.” connecticut Shortly thereafter, it began covering selected families since the benefits started in 2022. Oregonthe benefits will start in September 2023. colorado, the benefits will begin in January 2024. Other states’ paid family and medical leave laws go beyond the nuclear family in other ways. For example, most states have paid family and medical leave laws. Domestic partner.

Additionally, many states and territories across the country include selected families on their lists. paid sick leave law. for example, Arizona’s The Paid Sick Leave Act includes the ability to care for people whose “close relationship with an employee amounts to a family relationship”. Duluth and saint paul, Minnesota. very recently, California Amended existing paid sick leave laws, along with state unpaid family and medical leave laws, to include the ability for employees to care for “designated persons” of their choosing.

Spreading this momentum across the country, November 2021 House of Representatives passed a paid vacation policy This included a broad list of selected and enumerated families as part of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Package. , but demonstrated a strong national commitment to paid leave that included all families.

Similarly, laws that take care of all families— amending FMLA to include selected family members, along with many additional loved ones such as siblings, grandparents and adult children — recently reintroduced in Congress. healthy family law Guaranteed paid sick leave including care for selected family members.

Conclusion

Both LGBTQI+ and non-LBGTQI+ people depend on their chosen family members for care, but these needs are particularly pronounced among LGBTQI+ people. Adopting comprehensive and inclusive paid family and medical leave policies requires a definition of family that accurately reflects the diversity of modern families and the realities of care and care today.

Policymakers at the state and federal level are expanding existing laws to meet the same needs, while ensuring the ability to care for all Americans considered family members, paid family leave, medical leave , and should step up to pass legislation on paid sick leave. Comprehensive paid vacation is critical to the health of American families and the strength of the nation’s economy. The time for all family paid leave is over, but families are being built.

* CAP calculations are based on tables from the Census Bureau’s current census, Family and Living Arrangements: A Historical Timeline. Table HH-1: Households by Type: 1940 to Present and Table FM-1: Families with and without children under 18: 1950 to present.

** Data are based on 1,828 self-identified LGBTQI+ adults and 1,542 self-identified non-LGBTQI+ adults aged 18 and over conducted jointly by CAP and NORC from May 27, 2022 to June 23, 2022. from a nationally representative survey. University of Chicago. All in-text comparisons between LGBTQI+ and non-LGBTQI+ respondents are significant at the 0.05 level.More information about samples and methodology available here.