Indiana got a grade of ‘D-‘ in a new report analyzing how each state supports, or doesn’t support, new parents in terms of leave time and job protection.
The report was released to coincide with Monday’s White House Summit on Working Families.
Vicki Shabo is co-author of the study and vice president of the National Partnership for Women and Families.
“We looked at laws in each of the fifty states,” explained Shabo, “around paid family leave, paid medical leave for pregnant women, unpaid leave that goes beyond what the federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides, pregnancy accommodation laws, and laws to help new mothers continue to express breast milk after they go back to work.”
According to the report, Indiana has no laws that guarantee job protection or leave for new or expecting parents who work in the public or private sectors. But the state did receive points for laws supporting nursing mothers at work.
Shabo admitted some discouraging grades were handed out nationwide.
“The state with the highest grade is California, which received an A minus,” said Shabo. “But a striking 17 states receive an F. They do nothing at all, beyond what federal law provides to help expecting parents, and 31 states get a grade of D or F.”
But Shabo said she finds reason for optimism in the report.
“Since our last report,” she said, “we’ve seen a number of states take action to support new and expecting parents. So there is progress on the horizon.”
The group’s previous report was released in 2012.
Read the report Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents, from the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Mary Kuhlman
