Caregiving is a critical component of paid family leave that must not be left out of any policy. We deserve to be there for our families when they need us, and no one should sacrifice income when supporting their loved ones. With one in six Americans providing unpaid caregiving for chronically ill or aging parents or a person with disabilities, it is long past time to support caregivers with paid leave.
“Like so many Americans, my family didn't have the paid family leave we needed. The emotional, mental, and physical toll of taking care of a child with such massive medical needs was at times too much to think about. But the financial obligation was something we quickly realized we would not be able to manage, despite being a fortunate middle class family.”
- Crystal Lett, one of the one in six people in the U.S. providing unpaid care for a loved one
"If you think about the mourning process, if you think about saying goodbye to your parent, if you think about bringing in a child and the preparation that it takes... 12 weeks isn't enough for families in California."
"My son was born with kidney cancer. My family was extremely lucky. We had miracle doctors and nurses who treated and saved our son. We had the gift of time granted by the benefits of job security and access to paid family leave policies to recover from childbirth, stay by his side in the hospital and care for him at home between treatments. We know how fortunate we are on all accounts. We wish our story was the norm instead of the exception."
- Victoria Sevcik, one of the 20 percent of female employees in the U.S. who are also caregivers
"When my daughter, Virginia, was only 3 months old, she needed surgery to repair her heart. You can't help what happens in your life, and we all need some kind of help when something drastic happens."
