Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has called on the US to expand access to paid medical leave for families across the country, citing the impact the global health crisis and economic downturn has had on women .
In an interview aired on CNBC Monday, Gates said the Covid-19 pandemic lifted the curtain on America’s healthcare crisis.
“In building up and in this recovery, one of the things Congress really needs to look at is paid family medical leave. It takes a long time to get to the United States,” she said in an interview on “Closing Bell . “” We will not recover as robustly or as quickly as we look at this infrastructure that we have been turning 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 critical for working women, it would also be helpful for fathers and men caring for sick family members.
Paid family medical leave is an insurance program that allows employees to take time off from work without missing a salary. The program can be used by employees to care for newborns or seriously ill family members.
A national policy would align America with other developed countries that give their citizens all the privilege. According to the World Policy Analysis Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, the US is one of the few industrialized countries in the world without such a policy.
Nine states have laws on the books that provide the benefit to residents, although Gates said that’s not enough.
Opponents of the idea argue that the program would be a burden for small businesses. However, proponents propose that it could be funded through salary deductions.
“There are some great policies that have been passed here in the United States, and so it is time we started looking at this for us as a nation,” she said.
While paid time off would be beneficial to the general workforce, the impact would be especially beneficial for women, said Gates, a mother of three and wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Paid Time Off for the United States, a group that wants to promote family leave policies, says 1 in 4 mothers in the US return to work within two weeks of giving birth.
The pandemic, which led to nearly a year of societal restrictions and the closure of non-essential businesses, left millions of Americans unemployed. The layoffs put women, who leave the workforce at a higher rate than men, in a particularly difficult situation.
As of February 2020, more than 2 million women have completely dropped out of the labor force, causing their employment rates to drop to proportions not seen since 1988, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
Women are more likely to be carers of children and other family members, and paid family leave would help them keep their jobs. The program would also provide benefits to men, violating the standards of health care providers in the country, as men are less likely to take family leave, Gates said.
She noted that the $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill that Congress is finalizing before sending to President Joe Biden includes money for the childcare industry, but she insisted more should be done. She has also been encouraged by the record number of women holding seats in Congress, in the hope that their perspectives will make a mark on the discussions.
“Because this care crisis is in our faces here – you know, women are wedged between the care of young children and the older generation – I think we will finally see some action there,” Gates said.