Legislative Agenda / Working Women and Family Support

NACW favors expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to help working people make ends meet when they take unpaid time off for family medical emergencies or to care for new babies. The bipartisan Family Leave Commission found that nearly two-thirds of employees who needed but did not take leave in 1994/95, cited lost wages as the reason why they did not.

• Position: Implement laws and policies that decrease the financial hardship of unpaid leave for working families.

NACW urges government leadership in establishing public/private partnerships to assist families in meeting elder care responsibilities. More than half of Americans (54%) say they will probably be responsible for the care of an elderly parent or relative in the next ten years.

• Position: Enact laws, policies, programs and services that recognize and support the emerging elder care challenges facing families, and particularly women.

NACW recommends creative and immediate actions to increase the availability and affordability of childcare and after school programs that support the needs of children and working parents. Seventy-eight percent of mothers with school age children work outside the home. Sixty-three percent of mothers with children under six work outside the home.

• Position: Develop model policies for government and business that support the complex lives of women as they strive to perform well on the job, earn enough to support their families and provide care for their children and elder relatives.