a New KFF Analysis Employed women aged 18 to 64 said their employer provided paid parental leave benefits such as maternity and paternity leave (43%) and family and medical leave (44%). Less than half were women. Access to these workplace benefits varies greatly by employment status, income, location and level of education. High-income women who work full-time are more likely than part-time or low-income women to say their employers offer paid time off.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of paid leave benefits had a significant impact on employed women with children, especially low-income mothers. Among working parents, women continue to be the primary caregivers when their children are sick. Her 56% of working mothers report being the one to care for their children when they are sick and unable to attend school, compared to her 19% of working fathers. Low-income mothers (61%) say they care for sick children more than high-income mothers (53%). Among working mothers who must stay home to care for a sick child, 76% of those on low incomes (below 200% of her at the Federal Poverty Level) said they were unable to attend to care for a sick child. report that they lose their pay if they take time off from work. Income (38%).
These findings are from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey, which explores several topics related to women’s health and well-being. This analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of 5,145 women and 1,225 men aged 18-64. Data presented are based on gender self-identified as ‘female’ or ‘male’ by survey respondents. People who are not cisgender were also included in the survey but were not reported here due to the insufficient sample size.
Other findings include:
- 49% of high-income working women say their employer provides paid family or medical leave, compared to 33% of low-income women who do not.
- Seventy-three percent of full-time women report their employer provides paid sick leave, compared to 31% of women working part-time.
- The share of fathers caring for sick children out of school has doubled in the past two years, rising from 9% in 2020 to 19% in 2022. ) said it would take responsibility for children who had to miss school due to illness.
To learn more about these 2022 Women’s Health Survey findings, read our overview. “Workplace Benefits and Family Medical Responsibilities”
