Live Coverage Of The First Democratic Debate

My colleague Andrew Flowers is out, appropriately enough, on paternity leave, so I’ll take up his mantle on one of his favorite issues, paid family leave. Bernie Sanders is right that the U.S. is an outlier in its failure to require that new parents get paid time off. Parental leave is often painted as a women’s issue. But economists would caution not to forget fathers. That isn’t just because dads deserve the chance to spend time with their new sons and daughters; it’s also key to helping women succeed in the workforce. That may seem counterintuitive. But the risk is that if countries require paid leave for moms but not dads, companies will be reluctant to hire or promote women; after all, it costs money to have employees out on leave. Allowing — or even, as Catherine Rampell wrote in The New York Times a few years back, requiring — men to take the same leave as women could help ensure a level playing field.