Aug 7, 2017 • 7:00 pm
The United States is the only advanced country in the world without a national paid family leave policy. According to a new study conducted by Pew Research Center, the vast majority of Americans are in favor of having such a policy. While there hasn’t been legislation passed on this issue at the federal level, some states and companies have taken matters into their own hands: California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island provide paid family leave. More recently, policies have passed in New York and here at home in the District of Columbia. Tech companies including Facebook, Google, eBay, and Netflix, among others, have implemented their own paid leave policies.
While there’s growing bi-partisan support for paid family leave, there’s also significant disagreement over what policies should look like and questions about whether the federal government should even be involved in this issue, or if it should be left up to states or individual companies to voluntarily decide.
To better understand the debate around paid family leave—and to illustrate the value of discussion across differences—Emmy-Award winning broadcaster and 2017 Pulitzer finalist John Donvan will host a conversation between two people who hold opposing views on whether a federal paid family leave policy helps or hurts women.
Panelists include:
Alieza Durana is a senior policy analyst in the Better Life Lab at New America, where she provides research, writing, editorial, and programmatic support. Her work focuses on barriers to social and income equity, especially at the intersection of housing, education, and family policy.
Karin Agness Lips is the Founder and President of the Network of enlightened Women (NeW), a national organization for conservative university women. She is also a contributor to Forbes and a Senior Fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum.
Donvan is also the host and moderator of Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates and the New York Times bestselling author of In a Different Key: The Story of Autism.