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More dads in California are taking family leave, but still behind mothers. Here's what the data show
More dads in California are taking advantage of the state's paid family leave program.
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The Washington Post via Getty Images
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The Washington Post
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More and more dads in California are taking advantage of the state’s paid family leave program.
Claims from men to bond with their child have gone up 384% since the program started two decades ago compared to a 33% increase from women, according to a report published by the group Paid Leave for All.
“Claims are going up from everybody, but what's really driving that overall increase is this gigantic increase in claims from men,” said Molly Weston Williamson, who authored the report.
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More fathers than mothers are applying for paid family leave benefits to bond with a new child in California from when the program first started more than 20 years ago. -
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Men now make up 44% of claims for paid family leave, compared to only 18% in 2005.
“I think that really shows some changes in the way men and women are relating to the program,” she said. “What we know is that when dads are able to take paid leave everybody benefits.”
Research has shown that paternity leave benefits a mother’s physical and mental health postpartum, and can even reduce infant mortality rates.
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What California offers
Still, Williamson said many parents still don’t know about the benefits they can get from the state.
Paid Family Leave in California
- The state offers up to eight weeks of paid family leave for non-birthing parents – and starting this year, the benefits now cover 70 to 90% of their wages.
- The program is funded through the California State Disability Insurance (SDI) program, which workers pay into every paycheck. On a paystub, that deduction is often labeled as “CASDI.”
- Non-birthing parents can use paid family leave benefits within a year of the baby's birth.
The state offers up to eight weeks of paid family leave for non-birthing parents — and starting this year, the benefits now cover 70% to 90% of their wages.
Sela Steiger, staff attorney at Legal Aid at Work, said income can also be a barrier. A California Budget & Policy Center analysis found that in 2020, men and women making $80,000 to $100,000 were taking paid family leave at nearly four times the rate of people making less than $20,000 a year.
“We know that many dads are the breadwinners of their family and have both cultural pressure, but also financial pressure to ensure that they are able to maintain a household,” she said.
She’s hoping changes to the state’s recent increase in payments this year will help close the gaps. Workers who make less than $63,000 a year will get 90% of their income replaced while on leave, compared to the previous 60%.
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“I do think typically it takes a bit of time for the word to get out just about these programs in general,” she said.
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