WASHINGTON, DC (August 1, 2024)—Even in the small number of US states with paid parental leave programs, some of the parents who could benefit from these programs the most don’t know how to access the leave to which they’re entitled. A study selected as the July/August Editor’s Choice in Women’s Health Issues found that California parents with perinatal complications had a lower understanding of paid parental leave benefits than parents without such complications.
Women’s Health Issues is the official journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, which is based at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University.
Lisset M. Dumet of the Oregon Health & Science University – Portland State University School of Public Health and colleagues used two types of data to examine California parents’ awareness of and experience with paid parental leave: data from the 2016-2017 Bay Area Parental Leave Survey of Mothers and interviews with mothers who had stays at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 2019. Participants would likely have had access to paid leave under California’s paid family leave program and/or the San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance.
From among the survey respondents, Dumet and colleagues identified those with perinatal complications: poor maternal mental health during or after pregnancy, premature birth, or poor infant health. They found that, after adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, parents with perinatal complications were more likely to report that they did not understand their leave benefits and more likely to indicate that their employer did not help them understand these benefits, compared to those without perinatal complications. Interview participants told the authors that incomplete and contradictory information from benefit coordinators and employers led to frustration and added to the stress of having an infant in the NICU. One study participant recalled:
“There was no support at my job. When you call the state, you never get through, I called like 20 times, and it was disconnected and it was automated and endless auto messages that hang up on you… Not only was the hospital benefit coordinator unable to help, but everyone involved in the system was unhelpful.”
Dumet and colleagues note that their study took place in a region with relatively generous paid leave provisions by US standards, but parents with perinatal complications experienced serious challenges navigating the leave process. “Prenatal care, labor and delivery units, and NICUs are all settings where providing information about paid leave benefits could be particularly valuable,” the authors write. “Supervisors and human resources personnel should be equipped to provide information and support to employees, paying particular attention to those expectant or new parents with perinatal complications that necessitate additional assistance.”
“This study shows that it’s not enough to pass a family-friendly policy — careful implementation is also crucial to ensure everyone can benefit,” said Karen McDonnell, Editor-in-Chief of Women's Health Issues and associate professor of prevention and community health at Milken Institute SPH. “Ideally, all states would not only ensure their workers have the right to paid parental leave, but that paid leave is accessible to all — and especially to those facing significant health challenges.”
“Barriers to Accessing Paid Parental Leave Among Birthing Parents With Perinatal Health Complications: A Multiple-Methods Study” has been published in the July/August 2024 issue of Women’s Health Issues.