First Daughter Ivanka Trump has stressed the importance of maternity leave and child care, even meeting with business leaders about the policies. President Donald Trump has signaled an interest in these issues, as has Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"I think it's great to kind of be having this conversation about the costs and benefits," says Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women's Forum. "I hope we're moving in a positive direction and recognize that we need to keep in mind that as we know that flexibility is so important for women, that we need to have flexible solutions and not have government come in and try to mandate flexibility, which can really backfire on women and workers."
Lukas has made similar points in the past, as the push for family and medical leave is not a new idea. Liberals have been pushing it for years now, while conservatives have pointed out that it won't be cheap and could impact jobs and/or paychecks.
"Anytime you're giving somebody a benefit, that's a cost," notes Lukas, "and it's not only coming out of the business's pocket but also the worker ends up paying for it in terms of having lower take-home pay and compensation."
Even then, Lukas says women aren't the only ones wanting or needing additional time off work. Many fathers, she says, are involved with their families and also want time away from work.