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

Abstract

<b>Objectives.</b> 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. <b>Methods.</b> 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. <b>Results.</b> 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. <b>Conclusions.</b> 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. <b>Public Health Implications.</b> 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. (<i>Am J Public Health</i>. 2022;112(7):1050-1058. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306825).