Our Issues
The Need for Fairness in the Workplace
Many workplace norms and laws were developed over half a century ago, when a different workforce model and a different family model prevailed. In 1960, 70% of families had at least one parent at home full-time. Today, 70% of children are growing up in families headed by either a single working parent or two working parents. A Better Balance is working to change laws and policies to better reflect the way Americans live and work today.
The Need for Paid Sick Leave
The Need for Paid Family Leave
The United States stands alone among industrialized countries in failing to mandate paid family leave. Low-income workers and their families are especially vulnerable as they often lack the financial resources needed to take advantage of unpaid time off.
The Need to Value Care Work
The United States suffers from widespread and persistent devaluation of care work. Our country treats the work of caring for children, the elderly, and those who are sick or disabled as secondary to other forms of labor. As a result, the work of caregiving is often poorly compensated or completely unpaid and, because it is treated as a private concern, the labor it involves becomes invisible. The labor of stay-at-home parents is taken for granted and domestic workers who provide paid care usually perform their labor without adequate legal protections.
