1. Look at the statutory provisions that explain the leave requirements. Do they seem well crafted to respond to the findings set forth by Congress in the law? Does the law require employers to give paid family or medical leave? Does it permit paid leave?
2. Does Congress address any stereotypes about caregivers? How responsive is the law to changes in our ideas about family? Who benefits from the law? Is anyone harmed? Can you think of any changes that would make it more responsive to the needs of caregivers?
3. Of 173 nations surveyed by Harvard/McGill Universities in 2007, only five did not provide some form of paid leave to all new mothers: Lesoto, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and the United States.
(a) Find out about an organization that advocates for or against such leave in the United States. What arguments do they give for their positions? Which is more persuasive?
(b) In 2002, California became the first state to enact a comprehensive paid family leave law. The National Partnership for Women and Families has drafted a bill for a similar law. Find out the current status of the any law or proposals in your state.*
4. The Public Welfare Foundation reported that by 2007 at least 145 countries around the globe guaranteed workers paid sick days, although the United States was not among them.
(a) Find out if that has changed.
(b) Are there any laws or pending laws in your state that guarantee paid sick leave?