It’s About Time: Costs and Coverage of Paid Family and Medical Leave in Massachusetts

Authors

Randy Albelda, University of Massachusetts BostonFollow
Alan Clayton-Matthews, Northeastern UniversityFollow

Document Type

Research Report

Publication Date

5-2016

Abstract

In the United States, some, but far from all, employers offer certain forms of wage replacement when workers take a leave for medical or family reasons. In 2015, only 12% of all workers had access to paid family leave from their employers, 38% had access to short-term disability leave, and 65% had paid sick leave. Extending paid family and medical leave to all employees through a statewide program would share the costs and expand access, level the employment playing field, and reduce inequality among workers. One often-cited obstacle to providing paid family and medical leave in the United States is the anticipated cost. This report addresses that concern by examining the impacts of a statewide paid family leave insurance program in Massachusetts specified in a bill under consideration in the Massachusetts Legislature using a simulation model that provides estimates of the annual number and lengths of leaves, coverage across employees, and the costs associated with leave-taking.

Recommended Citation

Albelda, Randy and Clayton-Matthews, Alan, "It’s About Time: Costs and Coverage of Paid Family and Medical Leave in Massachusetts" (2016). Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Paper 28. http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cwppp_pubs/28