03 Aug Key Takeaways: Paid Family Leave Discussion with Ivanka Trump, former Sen. Chris Dodd, and former Sen. Rick Santorum in Children

On July 18, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a discussion on paid family leave—an issue picking up momentum in today’s policy discourse. The event came on the heels of BPC’s recent launch of a task force exploring the idea of a national paid family leave policy.

The discussion included conversations with both Republicans and Democrats, as well as leading academic and advocacy experts, who rationalized why paid family leave is good for America.

Ivanka Trump, advisor to President Trump, spoke at the event. Trump proclaimed that she was optimistic about reaching bipartisan consensus. She expressed that paid leave was critical in supporting family cohesion and bonding, maternal and infant health, and child birth incentives. This is particularly important for the 47 percent of women in the American workforce.

“Perfect shouldn’t stand in the way of getting something important and meaningful done for American workers,” stated Trump.

Former Sens. Chris Dodd and Rick Santorum followed Trump’s remarks. Once sitting on opposite sides of the Family Medical Leave Act, Dodd and Santorum now serve as two of the co-chairs for BPC’s Paid Family Leave Task Force.

Dodd firmly believes the country is ready for this policy movement, noting that the problem is not the desire, but rather the method of implementation. Dodd stated, “Congress must come to an agreement on how to pay for it.” One method is through the evaluation of states funding paid leave, such as California, which has been funding paid leave for a decade.

Santorum said that paid family leave was not a bipartisan issue year ago, but now with greater research on the impacts of parents needing to bond with their children and the long-term effects of experiences during early childhood as well as a transformation in today’s families, he has “changed his opinion and believes we must find a solution for paid family leave”.

Santorum argued that paid family leave can help offset our declining birth rates by incentivizing families to have children, which can ultimately help the economy.

While some say paid leave runs counter to the traditional Republican agenda, Santorum staunchly disagreed. He argued half of Republicans voted for it with passage of the Family Medical Leave Act. Further, Republicans supported the latest tax reform package, which included a paid family leave pilot program.

The final conversation consisted of a panel discussion with experts in the policy field:

• Myra Jones-Taylor, Ph.D; Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE
• Walter Gilliam, Ph.D; Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology, Yale University
• Jennifer Greenfield, Ph.D; Assistant Professor, University of Denver

The panelists agreed that paid leave is beneficial to both families and businesses. Studies have shown it provides a positive benefit or neutral effect for businesses. The panel expressed that it dramatically increases the likelihood of mothers returning to work. It also promotes a less distracted workforce, stronger employer-employee relationships, and less absenteeism. On the family side, paid leave is beneficial for child bonding and maternal health, such as postpartum depression and anxiety.

Research shows infant death rates drop with access to paid leave. Babies need consistency and naturally seek human connection, which is critical in the first 12 weeks. They also shared that when a father has time off to be present at birth, he is more connected and in love with the child and more likely to be involved in the child’s life, which has significant impacts on childhood outcomes.

With surveys showing that one in four mothers return to work just 10 days after giving birth, parents are forced to take their children to child care facilities typically before the baby has a properly developed immune system. Many child care facilities will not accept babies younger than six weeks old, which means mothers must entrust their baby with strangers far before the baby is ready to be in contact with people outside of the parental unit.