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Document Type

Article

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze ways to improve the Family and Medical Leave Act by comparing government-protected parental leave in the United States, Australia, Japan, and Norway. Section II will introduce the current fears around America’s birth rate, why women are important to the American workforce, why families often need two parents working, and, finally, how the Family Medical Leave Act has fallen short and a common suggestion for improvement.

Section II will analyze various countries’ national laws that govern parental leave. Each subsection will describe the country’s nationally protected parental leave policy. It will proceed as follows: the United States, Australia, Japan, and then Norway. Following the description of each country’s leave options, the article will outline how the protections are used by the citizenry of each country. Finally, it will provide areas of critique and praise within each country, except for the United States, and proposals within those countries for improvements.

Section III will turn to the United States and suggest areas of improvement for the Family Medical Leave Act based on common critiques. Suggestions will be based both on research of American scholars and by applying the solutions created by the countries analyzed.

Section IV will conclude that the first step to improve the Family Medical Leave Act is to make the protected parental leave paid for by the federal government, as opposed to by employers. Next, it can also be improved by incorporating an amendment to allow for paid leave to account for day-to-day parenting needs. Finally, the article will conclude that there must be a societal change beginning with the passage of these amendments and pushes within businesses for all parents to take their parental leave with the goal of changing the inequitable division in childcare.

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