abstract: 'Objective: Parental leave and breastfeeding breaks influence the ability

  to initiate and continue breastfeeding. We investigated how eligibility

  criteria in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Affordable Care

  Act (ACA) affect access to unpaid parental leave and breastfeeding

  breaks and assessed affordability and alternative policy models.

  Methods: We used family income data to assess the affordability of

  unpaid leave by race and ethnicity. We used 2017-2018 US Current

  Population Survey data to determine the percentage of private sector

  workers aged 18-44 years who met the minimum hour (1250 hours of work

  during a 12-month period), tenure (12 months), and firm size (>= 50

  employees) requirements of FMLA and ACA. We analyzed eligibility by

  gender, race and ethnicity, and age. We also examined parental leave and

  breastfeeding break policies in 193 countries. Results: Most Latinx

  (66.9\%), Black (60.2\%), and White (55.3\%) workers were ineligible

  and/or unlikely to be able to afford to take unpaid FMLA leave. Of 69

  534 workers, more women (16.9\%) than men (10.3\%) did not meet the

  minimum hour requirement. Minimum tenure excluded 23.7\% of all workers

  and 42.2\% of women aged 18-24 years. Minimum firm size excluded 30.3\%

  of all workers and 37.7\% of Latinx workers. Of 27 520 women, 28.8\%

  (including 32.9\% of Latina women) were excluded from ACA breastfeeding

  breaks because of firm size. Nearly all other countries guaranteed

  mothers paid leave regardless of firm size or minimum hours and

  guaranteed >= 6 months of paid leave or breastfeeding breaks.

  Conclusions: Adopting a comprehensive, inclusive paid parental leave

  policy and closing gaps in breastfeeding break legislation would remove

  work-related barriers to breastfeeding; reduce racial, ethnic, and

  gender inequities; and align US national policies with global norms.'
affiliation: 'Sprague, A (Corresponding Author), Univ Calif Los Angeles, WORLD Policy
  Anal Ctr, 621 Charles Young Dr S,2213-LSB, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA.

  Sprague, Aleta; Earle, Alison; Moreno, Gonzalo; Raub, Amy; Waisath, Willetta; Heymann,
  Jody, Univ Calif Los Angeles, WORLD Policy Anal Ctr, Los Angeles, CA USA.

  Heymann, Jody, Univ Calif Los Angeles, Fielding Sch Publ Hlth, Luskin Sch Publ Affairs,
  Geffen Sch Med, Los Angeles, CA USA.

  Sprague, Aleta, Univ Calif Los Angeles, WORLD Policy Anal Ctr, 621 Charles Young
  Dr S,2213-LSB, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA.'
author: Sprague, Aleta and Earle, Alison and Moreno, Gonzalo and Raub, Amy and Waisath,
  Willetta and Heymann, Jody
author-email: asprague@ph.ucla.edu
author_list:
- family: Sprague
  given: Aleta
- family: Earle
  given: Alison
- family: Moreno
  given: Gonzalo
- family: Raub
  given: Amy
- family: Waisath
  given: Willetta
- family: Heymann
  given: Jody
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/00333549231151661
earlyaccessdate: FEB 2023
eissn: 1468-2877
files: []
issn: 0033-3549
journal: PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTS
keywords: 'breastfeeding; paid leave; infant health; racial and ethnic

  inequalities; gender inequalities'
keywords-plus: MATERNITY LEAVE; WORKING MOTHERS; DURATION; RISK; RETURN
language: English
month: 2023 FEB 3
number-of-cited-references: '40'
orcid-numbers: Heymann, Jody/0000-0003-0008-4198
papis_id: d6561d1abc249a50bba1fbb6697fddfd
ref: Sprague2023nationalpolicies
times-cited: '0'
title: 'National Policies on Parental Leave and Breastfeeding Breaks: Racial, Ethnic,
  Gender, and Age Disparities in Access and Implications for Infant and Child Health'
type: Article; Early Access
unique-id: WOS:000925187700001
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '4'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2023'