Melinda Gates, co-president 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 recession have had on women.
In an interview that aired on CNBC on Monday, Gates said the Covid-19 pandemic pulled the curtain on America’s care crisis.
“In reconstruction and recovery, one of the things that Congress will really need to consider is the sick leave paid to the family. It’s a long time to get to the United States,” she said in a conversation at “Closing Bell.” as robust or rapid recovery unless we look at this infrastructure that we’ve been away from for a long time. “
Gates’ comments coincide with International Women’s Day, a global effort to recognize women’s achievements and the many roles they play in society. While a comprehensive plan is critical for working women, it would also be useful for parents and men who care for sick relatives.
Paid family sick leave is an insurance program that allows employees to miss work without losing their wages. The program can be used by workers to care for seriously ill newborns or family members.
A national policy would put the United States in line with other developed countries that already grant the privilege to their citizens. The United States is one of the only industrialized nations in the world without such a policy, according to the World Policy Analysis Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Nine states have laws in the books that offer the benefit to residents, although Gates says that is not enough.
Proponents of the idea argue that the program would be a burden on small businesses. Defenders propose, however, that it can be financed through deductions from payroll.
“There are some excellent policies that have been approved here in the United States, state by state, and then it’s time to look at this for us as a nation,” she said.
While paid leave is useful for the workforce in general, the impact would be particularly beneficial for women, said Gates, a mother of three and wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. According to Paid Leave for the United States, a group that seeks to promote family leave policies, 1 in 4 mothers in the U.S. returns to work less than two weeks after giving birth.
The pandemic, which has led to almost a year of social restrictions and the closure of non-essential companies, has left millions of Americans without work. The layoffs have pushed women, who are leaving the workforce at higher rates than men, to an especially difficult position.
Since February 2020, more than 2 million women have abandoned the labor force altogether, causing their labor participation rate to drop to proportions not seen since 1988, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
Women are more likely to care for their children and other relatives, and paid family leave would help them keep their jobs. The program would also provide benefits to men, helping to break caregiver regulations in the country, as men are less likely to take family leave, said Gates.
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 daycare sector, but she asked for more to be done. She is also encouraged by the record number of women occupying seats in Congress, in the hope that her perspectives will have a mark in the discussions.
“As this care crisis is right here on our faces – you know, women are sandwiched between looking after young children and the older generation – I think we will finally see some action there,” said Gates.