Over the last decade, a growing number of U.S. states have adopted mandatory paid family leave policies in response to the absence of a federal policy. Data from the 2024 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, was analyzed to assess changes in paid family leave enrollment among parents aged 15-64 who had their first child between 2000 and 2024 and were employed during pregnancy.
Findings show that between 2000 and 2024, the percentage of fathers taking paid leave after childbirth increased from 29% to 58%. For mothers, this rate rose from 47% to 54%. Mothers most commonly used family leave for their paid time off, while fathers utilized both family and vacation leave. Over time, there has been an increase in fathers choosing parental leave over vacation leave.
The analysis also looked at states that enacted mandatory paid family leave since California’s program began in 2004. Fourteen other states and Washington D.C. have passed or started such programs; however, four states are still in early implementation stages. In these locations, fathers shifted towards using family leave when available but did not significantly change their overall participation rate. For mothers, both total enrollment in paid leave and use of designated family leave increased after state-level policies took effect.
"These analyses are descriptive, but they tell a clear story: the enrollment of paid family leave is increasing for both fathers and mothers, and parents are more likely to take paid family leave when a mandatory paid family leave policy is available," said the authors. "Given the benefits of paid leave on mental health, these findings suggest mandatory state-level paid leave policies may have important impacts."
Slawa Rokicki is listed as a research affiliate with NJSPL as well as an assistant professor at Rutgers School of Public Health.
