John,

Did you know that in today’s workforce, 74% of mothers are working moms?¹

Their incomes are critical to their families, with 79% of Black mothers, 64% of Native mothers, 49% of Latina mothers, 48% of white mothers, and 43% of Asian and Pacific Island mothers being the major breadwinners of their families.²

But, as mothers balance their careers with caregiving at home, the lack of a national paid family and medical leave program results in mothers losing out on wages in both their earning years and in retirement.

On average, the “motherhood penalty” results in women earning $237,000 less in their lifetime, and this results in 20% less Social Security benefits in retirement.^3,4

These penalties are even more harsh on women of color, with Black women filing a disproportionately higher number of workplace pregnancy discrimination claims relating to maternity leave, being denied a raise or promotion due to a pregnancy, or because of an inadequate maternal leave policy.⁵

Passing a national paid family leave program would allow more moms to stay in the workforce while cutting down on career penalties for mothers. Statistics show that new mothers who take paid leave are more likely to stay in the workforce. However, just 27% of private sector workers and 6% of low-wage workers―disproportionately women of color―have access to paid family leave.^6,7 And that forces too many into impossible choices: their families, their health, or their jobs.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Flowers are nice, but paid leave is what moms really need. So let’s demand Congress pass paid family leave, which supports women and families, while also giving a boost to our economy.

Click here to send a message to your senators and representative urging Congress to pass a national paid family and medical leave program now.

Thank you for taking action to support working moms and families.

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Employment Characteristics of Families News Release
² Holding Up Half the Sky
³ Lifetime Employment-Related Costs to Women of Providing Family Care
⁴ Paid Leave Will Help Close the Gender Wage Gap
⁵ By the Numbers: Women Continue to Face Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace
⁶ Key Facts: Paid Family and Medical Leave
⁷ When We Fight, We Win – Paid Sick Days and Paid Family Leave