The Future of Work Requires Getting the Basics RightThe US guarantees neither paid vacation nor weekly rest--lagging the rest of the world. Jul 01 26July 01, 2026Article at Equal Futures Substack
More Fathers Than Ever Have Access to Paternity Leave-–and its Benefits Are ClearBut the world still falls far short of supporting gender equity in care. Jun 21 26June 21, 2026Article at Equal Futures Substack
Sprague: Paid leave is a win for VermontIn 2022, Governor Scott’s administration partnered with a private insurance company to launch a new voluntary paid leave program, offering paid family and medical leave to all state employees and Jun 03 26June 03, 2026Article at rutlandherald.com
As Flu Infections Surge Across Countries, Which Workers Have Paid Sick Leave?Some countries permanently improved their sick leave policies in response to the pandemic--the US was not among them. Dec 16 25December 16, 2025Article at Equal Futures Substack
Why paternity leave is critical for women's economic empowermentA baby who was born prematurely and is now nine weeks old, is carried in a car seat by his father as they leave hospital after being discharged from the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre of Burnley General Hospital in East Lancashire, in Burnley,… Feb 28 23February 28, 2023Article at Context News
The hidden costs of life without paid family medical leaveWith the Senate the next to consider paid leave, opponents are still saying it’s too expensive. Yet as our data shows, nearly every country — 186 — provides paid leave to new mothers, the majority provide paid leave to fathers, and 181 countries… Nov 08 21November 08, 2021Article at TheHill
The American economy cannot afford to forgo paid medical leaveAs the Delta variant drives a new surge in COVID-19 cases and more Americans begin returning to in-person work, the need for paid sick and medical leave for all is clearly urgent. We’ve already seen that when paid leave is available, COVID-19… Jul 28 21July 28, 2021Article at TheHill
As Coronavirus Spreads, Time for Cities and States to Act on Sick LeaveOn March 11, the Senate blocked a proposal to provide Americans with two weeks of emergency paid sick leave. While similar proposals have come before Congress for decades, as the threat of coronavirus escalates, federal lawmakers’ longstanding… Mar 18 20March 18, 2020Article at Inside Sources
Designing Inclusive Parental Leave Policies to Better Support All FamiliesThis blog is based on an article in the Journal of Social Policy. Click here to access the article. In recent decades, the global LGBT+ rights movement has made significant strides towards achieving equality for LGBT+ individuals and families and… Sep 05 19September 05, 2019Article at The Social Policy Blog
A Holiday Is Nice -- But What Fathers Really Need is Paid LeaveCo-authored by Aleta Sprague One day a year, we celebrate dads. Chances are, that's one day more than they had to celebrate becoming a father. At least that's the case in the U.S. - along with nearly 100 other countries around the world that don't… Dec 06 17December 06, 2017Article at HuffPost
Improving infant health: What’s the role for social policy?Over the past two decades, the global community has achieved remarkable progress on infant and child health. Since 1990, the under-five mortality rate has fallen by half, while the share of children receiving basic vaccines has increased across the… Sep 15 17September 15, 2017Article at On Health
Opinion: Does paid leave harm U.S. competitiveness?Each week, In Theory takes on a big idea in the news and explores it from a range of perspectives. This week, we’re talking about paid family leave. Need a primer? Catch up here. Jody Heymann is dean of the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA… May 13 16May 13, 2016Article at Washington Post
