JEANNINE SATO: Paid leave is about our families and our future

Twelve years ago, I went without several paychecks after the birth of my first child. I returned to my job after six weeks because that was all the leave I could take. It was incredibly stressful for me and for my family.  I believe, to this day, that my daughter would have been better off if we had more time to bond.

Here we are now, 12 years later, and North Carolina workers are still without paid family leave insurance. Most parents work outside the home, so newborn care creates financial hardship for many. Every day moms find themselves in a similar situation that I was in all those years ago – forced to return to work before they are ready because they can’t afford to take time off without pay.

The information from this study can give the effort to provide paid family leave to North Carolinians the boost it needs at this time when just 12 percent of workers in our state have this essential support. Family leave programs don’t just benefit moms with new babies. A well-crafted program will also provide some wage replacement when workers need time off to care for older children and family members at all stages of life who are facing serious illness – and to recover from serious illness or injury ourselves.  We all do get sick!

A program like that isn’t just good for moms. It’s also good for our families, our communities and our state’s economy.

The Duke Center’s report concludes that paid leave would save the lives of 26 North Carolina babies per year in reduced infant mortality. That is a desperately needed improvement since our state ranks 41st in the country for infant deaths, with an infant mortality rate of 7.3 deaths per 1,000 births. That is well above the national average of 5.8 and higher than Russia, Chile and numerous other nations.

North Carolina also has a fast-growing elderly population, which means we’ll all be facing even more eldercare needs in the years ahead. In less than 15 years, the share of the state’s population that will be age 65 and older will grow by nearly 40 percent, meaning many more seniors will need family help to stay in their homes.

For me, little has changed since my first child was born. Like most workers in North Carolina, if someone in my immediate family falls ill, I will again face the difficult choice of taking family medical leave without pay or neglecting my family to get a paycheck.

The Duke Center’s study shows that we can do better. Not only can North Carolina create a healthier environment for kids and families, we can do it for less than $2 per week per worker. In one study scenario, employees pay into an insurance program that will allow them to receive partial income for several weeks to manage common life issues.  Given how common birth, adoption, and illness are for average worker, can we really afford not to offer paid family leave?

I would argue that the study does not go far enough. Other states have implemented paid leave programs FUNDED with contributions split fairly between the employee and the employer, with great success.  Research of these dual-funded paid leave programs shows no negative impacts on businesses – in fact, in many cases paid family leave improves retention and productivity.

After all, this is about our families and our future.