A Better Balance

Last year, more Californians used paid family leave than ever before In 2025, the state increased payments for people who took time off to care for a child or a family member.

More Californians filed claims for paid family leave last year than ever before. Strong paid leave programs are a boon for families and employers, and it's great to see more workers exercising their rights! @workfamilyca.bsky.social laist.com/news/educati...

Amid Shortage of Foster Families, Tennessee Expands Paid Parental Leave to Support State Employees With Foster Children - A Better Balance On March 9th, the Tennessee Legislature passed SB 938 with strong bipartisan support, and the bill will now head to the Governor’s desk. This legislation

This policy is especially critical as the state grapples with a severe shortage of foster families, especially for children with more complex needs. Read our full statement: www.abetterbalance.org/amid-shortag...

VICTORY: Tennessee just expanded its paid parental leave program for state employees to include leave for foster parents! 🎉

The Women Who Inspired the Movement for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act - A Better Balance UPDATE: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has been signed into law and will go into effect on June 27th, 2023. Learn more here.

This Women's History Month, we honor the women who bravely shared their experiences with pregnancy discrimination to help pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, creating more supportive workplaces and advancing economic justice for millions of women. www.abetterbalance.org/pregnant-wor...

FACT SHEET: Part-Time Workers Need Paid Leave - A Better Balance Approximately 28 million people in the United States are employed part-time. Yet, part-time workers are often not covered by employer-provided workplace

28 million people in the United States are employed part-time. But part-time, seasonal, and temporary workers frequently lack access to crucial benefits like paid family and medical leave, and face impossible choices when health and care needs arise. www.abetterbalance.org/resources/fa...

New Data Show Unemployment Rising for Black and Asian Disabled Workers Amid Trump's Attacks | National Partnership for Women & Families The latest employment data reveal that Trump's economy is also harming disabled workers, with disabled women of color particularly feeling the effects.

Unemployment is climbing for disabled workers, particularly for Black and Asian workers with disabilities. New data shows how this admin's attacks on disability rights and workplace protections risk setting back progress for years. From @npwf.bsky.social: nationalpartnership.org/new-data-une...

Op-Ed: “Affordability” Should Mean Being Able to Afford Time Off, Too • The Austin Chronicle In Washington, Democrats have a top priority: helping people afford the things they need to live well – a home, food, health care, child care. I agree that should be our top priority. But a few months...

"Every American should get time off when they get sick or need to care for a loved one." Thank you, @repcasar.bsky.social, for sharing your experience and highlighting why ALL workers deserve the right to take paid leave during life's most important moments. www.austinchronicle.com/columns/opin...

New York's paid medical leave program lags far behind other states – meaning countless New Yorkers must survive off $170/week when they're too sick or injured to work. NY leaders must reform TDI and bring the state into the 21st century. Learn more: www.abetterbalance.org/new-yorkers-...

When they became moms, these teachers were left with few options. Some quit. Teachers aren't guaranteed paid parental leave in most states. For some, it's enough to leave the profession altogether.

"The last thing a teacher should have to worry about is losing her paycheck − or even her job − when she has a baby."

Teachers do vital work. As we told @usatoday.com, too many educators (and their families) are drowning without access to paid leave. www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...

How Paid Leave Policies Can Support Young Workers’ Mental Health - A Better Balance In today’s workplaces, every worker can feel the strains of everyday life. For young people—who statistically struggle the most with their mental

For young people – who statistically struggle the most with their mental health – support at work can be a lifeline as they take care of themselves and their loved ones. www.abetterbalance.org/resources/ho...

Are you an educator based in Mississippi? Have you taken or needed to take paid parental leave to welcome a new child? We want to hear from you! Take the survey here: forms.gle/DCQMHBf5ceqa...

They balanced life and work. Now more women are quitting. Here's why Nearly half a million women left the workforce last year. A new national survey sheds light on why.

"What we are really seeing is this is a structural issue."

In 2025, more than 455,000 women left the workforce. Half of those who voluntarily left named balancing their caregiving needs – and the soaring cost of childcare – as key driving factors. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

Issue Spotlight: NICU Leave is a Common-Sense Policy that Supports Working Families and Improves the Health of NICU Parents and Babies - A Better Balance In the United States, approximately 10% of babies are born preterm, and these preterm babies often require specialized care in a neonatal intensive care unit

The United Kingdom recently extended a right to paid time off for parents with babies in the NICU. The U.S. can catch up by passing similar supports for NICU families to help protect their economic security during a stressful, costly time. www.abetterbalance.org/resources/is...

Paid Family and Medical Leave Supports the Health, Well-Being, and Financial Security of Older Adults and their Caregivers - A Better Balance The United States is one of the only countries in the world that does not provide a national right to paid family and medical leave—a glaring gap in the law

As our population ages, paid family and medical leave is essential for supporting older adults. Paid leave can also help caregivers of aging adults take time off work to provide care without being forced to lose pay or quit their jobs. Learn more: www.abetterbalance.org/resources/pa...

A Better Balance and March of Dimes Urge Federal Appeals Court Not to Eradicate Vital Pregnant Worker Protections - A Better Balance The United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit is poised to decide whether to invalidate a federal law protecting the rights of pregnant workers

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has reduced miscarriage rates nationally by almost 10%. Now, a federal court is poised to decide whether or not to overturn the law. We joined @marchofdimes.org in urging the Fifth Circuit to preserve these vital protections: www.abetterbalance.org/a-better-bal...

More than 60 million Americans are balancing work and care every day, BPC's Adrienne Schweer points out, many of whom are "sandwich caregivers" caring for multiple loved ones at once. Paid leave would extend a lifeline to help countless families stay afloat.

"Paid leave has become an essential part of attracting talent, and retaining it," says SHRM's Greta Kessler, emphasizing that paid leave is good for business and keeps workers attached to their jobs as they manage health and caregiving needs.

"Caregiving, whether paid or unpaid, is the backbone of our economy," says @clasp.org's Elyse Shaw, urging lawmakers to pass comprehensive paid family and medical leave for all Americans.

"We've seen multiple states step up and fill the gap left by the federal government," says @bobbyscott.house.gov, highlighting the numerous states with their own paid leave programs, plus recent movement in Virginia.

Balancing Careers and Care: Examining Innovative Approaches to Paid Leave About the Committee:Education and Workforce Committee Republicans are committed to fostering the best opportunities for students to learn, workers to succeed...

Happening now: the Education and Workforce Committee is holding a hearing to highlight how paid family and medical leave would support families during an urgent affordability crisis. Tune in: www.youtube.com/live/IKPYqz6...

Mamdani Announces Plan to Enforce Time-Off Protections for N.Y.C. Workers Ahead of a new worker protection law taking effect, Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced the additional measures his administration will take to ensure employees get the time off they are owed.

New York's paid sick time protections are vital, especially for workers in industries like retail and food service. Grateful for @mayor.nyc.gov's partnership as we work to enforce New Yorkers' hard-won legal rights to care for themselves and their loved ones. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/n...

Local Victory: NYC Expands Paid Sick Time Law to Include More Covered Purposes and Protections! - A Better Balance This newest expansion to the city’s law will provide new protections to workers and ensure that New Yorkers can attend to their real-life needs without being forced to risk their job or income.

As of yesterday, NYC workers have stronger paid sick time rights!

Now, the city's law covers paid sick time for childcare, emergency-related closures, housing- and benefits-related legal proceedings, workplace violence, and more. Learn more: www.abetterbalance.org/local-victor...

Happy National Caregiver Day! Let's show gratitude to the caregivers in our lives and communities by fighting for a future where caring for your loved ones doesn't mean risking your job or paycheck.

Calling For Economic and Maternal Health Justice with the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable - A Better Balance We recently joined the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable for their Advocacy Day, where we highlighted the policies women and families in the state need in order to thrive.

About 76% of Mississippi workers don't have paid family leave through their employers. As we highlighted at the Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable's Advocacy Day at the MS Capitol, “Mississippi families need and deserve more.” www.abetterbalance.org/calling-for-...

Allyson Felix says recovery is harder as a mom than as an Olympic athlete—and she’s fighting to make it easier for all of us - Motherly Allyson Felix on why recovering as a mom is harder than the Olympics — and her fight to make paid sick leave a reality for all parents.

Olympians like Allyson Felix know how important paid sick time is, especially for moms. We're thankful for Theraflu's partnership as we fight for paid sick time laws so that EVERYONE has the right to rest and recover when illness strikes. www.mother.ly/health-welln...

MS recently took an important step forward for families by passing paid parental leave for state government employees. But as Cassandra Welchlin writes, paid leave for all workers in the state "is an investment Mississippi can’t afford not to make." mississippitoday.org/2026/02/17/p...

Share Your Experience: Alabama Paid Parental Leave Questionnaire for State Employees & Educators The Alabama Paid Leave Coalition is gathering information from eligible Alabama state employees, educators, and staff who have used the new paid parental leave policy or who expect to need paid…

Are you a state government employee or educator from Alabama? Have you taken paid parental leave under the state's new program, or do you plan to? The Alabama Paid Leave Coalition wants to hear from you! Take the survey here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

New York Budget Omits Paid Medical Leave Reform – But New Yorkers Can't Wait Any Longer - A Better Balance A health crisis should not create a financial crisis for working New Yorkers, but the state's paid medical leave program, which hasn't been updated since 1989, leaves too many workers with serious…

Every day, we hear from New Yorkers who can't afford to take paid medical leave because of how outdated the state's TDI program is. Nobody should be forced to survive off $170/week while facing serious health problems – New Yorkers need reform, ASAP. www.abetterbalance.org/new-york-bud...

Breaking: Both houses of Virginia's legislature just passed paid family and medical leave AND paid sick time! 🎉 We hope to see these protections fully enacted as soon as possible.

Parents of Babies in the NICU Deserve Stronger Workplace Protections - A Better Balance For parents of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), being present during this difficult and stressful time should be their number one priority –

The last thing parents with newborns in the NICU should be worrying about is keeping their job and staying afloat during this time. Congress must act to support NICU families with extra FMLA leave. More from @abetterbalance.org: www.abetterbalance.org/leave-for-ni...