Senator Tammy Duckworth is advocating for paid family leave in the US.
Duckworth, who was the first US Senator to give birth while in office, says while COVID-19 has highlighted the difficulties parents face, the lack of paid leave is not a new problem.
“Even before the pandemic nearly 80 percent, think about that, nearly 80 percent of private sector workers did not have access to paid family leave through their job to care for a new child or a sick loved one,” she said.
Duckworth says the lack of mandated paid leave hits lower income workers the hardest, along with military spouses. In addition to helping families, Duckworth says paid leave could add 2.4 trillion to the GDP by 2030.
