ABSTRACT
More women in the United States want and need paid employment. More men want and need to participate in caregiving. The United States does have a public policy dealing with leave. Twenty-two years ago, congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with bipartisan support. The FMLA does not address routine illness or preventive care. As women still bear the disproportionate responsibility for caregiving, and many need time to recover from giving birth, the caregiving penalty is a major contributor to women's inequality, lower mobility, and lower chances for advancement. It also accounts in part for their higher percentage among the poor. The Healthy Families Act introduced in 2014, would allow workers to earn paid sick days they can use to care for their own illness or that of a loved one, or to deal with the aftermath of sexual or domestic violence.
