The two parties in Congress don't agree on much these days. However, in the final days of December, they struck a deal that will give about 2 million federal workers paid time off following the birth of a baby, an adoption or the arrival of a foster child in their home.
A growing number of states have passed similar laws. These new measures are aimed at addressing a major gap in American workplace policy. The United States is the only developed country that fails to guarantee paid parental leave to workers generally.
As an expert on the laws and policies that govern employment and families, I've studied parental leave laws around the world. In my view, the new U.S. laws are an important step forward, but I think they treat single-parent families unfairly.
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