Families are the foundation of America. They celebrate with us in times of joy and support us in times of need. When we bring new lives into the world or need to care for seriously ill loved ones, every American should be able to take the time they need to support their families. Yet America falls far behind the rest of the developed world in fulfilling this promise — only 19 percent of civilian workers have access to paid family leave.
Further, the lack of paid family leave perpetuates gender inequity in the workplace and disproportionately slows the progression of women’s careers. It’s one of the reasons that women in California continue to be paid 89 cents for every dollar paid to men, and women nationally receive a 4 percent pay cut for each child they have. It’s wrong and it must change.
As a State Senator, I made paid leave and equal pay a priority for California. I worked to pass the California Fair Pay Act, which eliminated loopholes perpetuating pay gaps and launched a nationwide movement to strengthen equal pay laws in 41 states. We expanded job protection for maternity and paternity leave, because no one should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a newborn. I introduced a bill to further strengthen California’s family leave laws that recognizes our diverse, intergenerational family structures. I also led the charge to require equitable and diverse gender representation on corporate boards. While these changes have helped accelerate progress in California, there is much more work to be done.