1. Work-Family Policy
Katie Reck – FCHD 1010

2. What is your interest in policy/politics?
Very interested
Somewhat interested
Neutral
Not very interested
I do not care about policy/politics……period.

3. Do you feel like policy is important
Yes, absolutely!!!
Somewhat, it does matter whether I know a lot about it or not.
Not really, I hear about it but don’t get involved much.
Nope. Don’t know, don’t care.

4. What is a policy? A law created by a governmental body.
A principle or rule which guides decision making.
A procedure for completing a task.
A protocol for implementing power.

5. Policy What is a policy? A principle or rule to guide decisions.
Procedure
Rule
Law
Protocol
Who makes policy?

6. How Does Policy Affect the Family?

7. Is there a U.S. Family Policy?
Bogenshneider Chapter 2

8. “_____” is not mentioned in the constitution
Equal opportunity of the individual
The family :
Social institution Contract with the individual
Bogenshneider Chapter 2

9. PRWORA
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act Promote personal responsibility Encourage individual employment capacity
Example: PRWORA – Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
Primary focus of welfare reform in most states is promoting personal responsibility by encouraging and facilitating recipients’ wage-earning or bread-winning capacity.
Bogenshneider Chapter 2

10. Why is it difficult to make family policy?
No legal ______ of a family
Traditional family is the norm
Why a family focus? A family focus is reflective of how the real world works. Maximizing the contributions of individuals to promote the good of the whole.
What is a family? Sometimes this is used as shorthand to mean parent and child while ignoring other relationships.
There is no legal definition of family – however courts commonly use the “traditional family” model to base decisions on.
Really this is impossible.
Implications?

11. Why is it difficult to make family policy?
Democracy
Time
Everyone wants a piece
Change
Family
Work
Political System
Values

12. Work-Family Policies

13. What has affected work-family policies?
_______ entering the workforce
______ ___ _____expectations
Egalitarianism
_________

14. Work-Family Policy ___ ____federal policies
Some ______________ laws at local levels
Company policies

15. Parents and Work
What are some of the issues parents have to face when it comes to work?
Who do you believe has it harder when it comes to work and family issues?
A – Women
B – Men
C – They both have equal hardship

16. Moms
Dads

17. Does the U.S. government require companies to provide paid medical leave to its employees?
A – Yes
B – No
C – I don’t know
___
_____ __ countries in the world does not have a national paid maternity law

18. Examples from Abroad

19. Examples from Abroad

20. Parental Leave Policies - Objectives
___ _________
Enable time with children
Support infant/maternal health
Strengthen _____ _________
Strengthen means child caregiving
Shore up _______ / macroeconomic health
Sustain ______
Provide earnings/income supplement

21. Parental Leave Policies
___vs. _____
Maternity leave - mothers
Paternity Leave - fathers
“_____ _____” - longer, flexible, both parents
Childcare leave – time limited family allowance, no employment incentives
Paid leave - wage replacement from social insurance funds
Unpaid leave - job protection but no wage replacement

22. Policy in the U.S. Maternity leave – State policy
___ states have temporary disability laws
Parental Leave – National policy
_____ _____ _____ _____ – unpaid leave for those working in companies
Parental leave – State policy
California, Washington, and New Jersey: 5-6 weeks
Parental Leave – Private Sector
___% of all employees
White, unionized, high paid, lots of employees, metropolitan areas

23. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Federal Law - ____
Allows __ weeks of _____ leave from employment:
Family and medical reasons
Birth of a child (also adoption/foster care)
Take care of sick family member
Own serious health condition
Care for a service member
Intermittent leave at employers discretion
Men or women

24. FMLA - Employer
Eligible – must be working for employer for 1 year and worked 1,250 hours.
____+ employees
Must provide notification within 30 days
Employer can _____ _________
May terminate if employee does not intend to return to work
“______” illnesses do not count

25. Problems with the FMLA ________________________
Illness has to be severe
Leave is unpaid
____________

26. Childcare
What are some solutions to the work - family - child care issue?

27. Child Care Policies Child Parents Society Care Development
Labor mobilization
Society
Social infrastructure for economic development
80% of economic developers see importance of child care

28. Child Care
__% of local governments use loans, tax credits, business assistance to promote child care.
What's wrong with the child care market?
_____________
Low profitability and supply
_________– Finding and getting good care
_______ business – few employees
Recession

29. ___million paid workers
Full-time paid workers
Part-time paid workers
Paid care workers
_______________
Unpaid _____ and ______ care

30. Child care - What can be done?
Communities – Economic development, business assistance, coordinated planning (transportation).
Employers – Flexibility Spending Accounts, on site or flexible work arrangements, taxation.
State and National Government – Tax credits (subsidies), rating system, reimbursement, preschool.

31. Company Policies ___________ No overtime rules ______________
Nursing Rooms
Flextime / telecommuting
16 weeks job-guaranteed leave and 8 weeks fully paid leave.
Dream Scheduling
Subsidized child care

32. Why so few state/federal policies?
___________
Most businesses “small businesses”
_______________________
Stigma for using family-friendly policies