By Druta Bhatt
Allegheny County is considering an amendment that would create one of the most expansive paid parental leave policies in Pennsylvania.
The proposal would provide up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave, cover employees regardless of the size of their workplace, require full wages to be paid during the leave without any caps, and be financed directly by employers rather than through a government-administered program.
Pennsylvania doesn’t currently have a statewide parental leave law. Most workers rely on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected parental leave per year. The law only applies to qualifying workers employed by businesses with 50 or more employees.
As a result, access to paid parental leave and consequently the health of mothers and infants in the state - varies significantly depending on an individual’s employer and workplace benefits.
Paid Parental Leave and Family Well-Being
The debate around paid parental leave extends beyond workplace policy and touches on broader questions of public health and economic stability.
Without paid leave, many families face difficult decisions between maintaining income, attending medical appointments, recovering from childbirth, or breastfeeding and caring for a newborn.
Research has linked paid parental leave to improved maternal and infant health outcomes, including lower mortality rates and increased access to preventive care, while unpaid leave hasn’t been shown to produce the same level of benefits.
Studies have also found that paid leave helps maintain female labor participation and the choice of financial independence as well as reduce the likelihood of new parents leaving the workforce. As it stands, about 10% women still quit or were let go from jobs around their first child’s birth.
Some research suggests the benefits may extend beyond infancy. For example, a study from Norway shows that when their national policy shifted from unpaid parental leave to paid parental leave, they saw long-term improvements in educational attainment and earning among children affected by the policy. That includes a decline in high school dropouts and an increase in the children’s wages at age 30.
Unequal Access to Paid Leave
“Among private industry workers, access to paid family leave is highest among those whose hourly wages were above the 90th percentile (43%) and lowest among those whose hourly wages were below the 10th percentile (6%).”
Access to paid leave is not evenly distributed across the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, access to paid family leave is highest among workers in the top wage brackets and lowest among workers in the lowest wage brackets.
Research also shows disparities by race and ethnicity, with many minority workers less likely to have access to paid leave benefits compared to white workers.
These inequities are compounded by differences in job flexibility and lack of access to remote work for low-wage earners and minority workers.
Paid parental leave can offer the much-needed cushion and economic protection around childbirth, especially for families who have fewer savings and higher systemic odds stacked against them. As a result, policymakers often view paid leave as both a workforce and an economic security issue.
Research suggests several factors are particularly important when designing inclusive leave policies:
Wage replacement matters. Workers are more likely to use leave when a substantial portion of their wages is replaced.
Length of leave matters. Arguably, at least 12 weeks of paid parental leave is essential to maximizing health and economic benefits, according to scientific literature review. The International Labor Organization on the other hand recommends 18 weeks of paid maternity leave. Countries that participate in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on average offer 17.3 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Universal access matters. Mandatory paid parental leave is important for inclusivity because voluntary or employer-specific programs may leave lower-wage workers without coverage.
Education and outreach matter. Awareness and education around parental leave rights and laws can influence participation rates and is essential to mitigating discrimination by employers, especially toward minority and immigrant workers.
Why Many Workers Don't Use All Available Leave
New parents are hardworking and reversing the narrative of exploiting leave policies. Despite available protections, research shows many workers in the U.S. don’t use the full amount of leave available to them.
For example, Pennsylvania mothers took an average of approximately 6.9 weeks of leave between 2005 and 2019, compared with the 12 weeks of leave available to them under FMLA. This is less than the national average of 7.2 weeks of leave that mothers take (this includes states with state parental leave).
Irrespective of the policies applicable, mothers in U.S. are returning to work faster over time, taking shorter parental leaves as opposed to other industrialized countries where mothers take advantage of the full extent of the parental leave and benefits awarded to them. Researchers point to several possible explanations, including financial constraints, workplace culture, concerns about career advancement, and caregiving responsibilities. This warrants further discussion on implicit bias against employees who take more leave.
Costs and Benefits for Employers
Research on state-administered paid leave programs suggests employers generally face little additional expense from temporary replacements or overtime and may benefit from improved employee retention, morale, and productivity.
In California, where leave benefits are financed through worker payroll contributions rather than directly by individual employers, 87% of surveyed employers reported no increase in costs, while some reported savings.
However, Allegheny County’s proposal differs significantly because it would require employers to directly fund the benefit.
Critics argue that requiring employers to pay full wages for up to 18 weeks could create a much larger and less predictable burden, particularly for smaller businesses with limited staffing and cash reserves. Employer-financed mandates could also create unintended discriminatory hiring incentives and practices if businesses anticipate higher leave-related costs.
The County Board of Health will likely vote on the proposal in September. Prior to the vote, the health department can make changes to the proposed amendments while taking into consideration the 1400+ public comments received.