Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Paid Family and Medical Leave: United States, 2011 and 2017-2018.

Abstract

Objectives. To examine racial and ethnic inequities in paid family and medical leave (PFML) access and the extent to which these inequities are mediated by employment characteristics. Methods. We used data from the 2011 and 2017-2018 American Time Use Survey in the United States to describe paid leave access by race/ethnicity. We present unadjusted models, models stratified by policy-targetable employment characteristics, and adjusted regression models. Results. We found that 54.4% of non-Hispanic White workers reported access to PFML in 2017-2018 but that access was significantly lower among Asian, Black, and Hispanic workers. Inequities were strongest among private-sector and nonunionized workers. Leave access improved slightly between 2011 and 2017-2018, but the inequity patterns were unchanged. Conclusions. We observed large and significant racial and ethnic inequities in access to PFML that were only weakly mediated by job characteristics. PFML has a range of health benefits for workers and their families, but access remains limited and inequitable. Public Health Implications. Our findings suggest that broad PFML mandates (such as those in other high-income countries) may be needed to substantially narrow racial and ethnic gaps in paid leave access. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(7):1050-1058. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306825).