Are You Human? Then This Applies to You.
The recent fight in the US over Federal Paid Leave has frustrated and angered me to no end. How can our elected leaders not see the benefit of providing its citizens an opportunity to care for themselves and their loved ones without also worrying about how they're going to pay their bills? If this fight for Paid Leave is new to you, please let me enlighten you. THIS IS NOT JUST A MOM'S ISSUE! Excuse my use of All-Caps, but yes, I am shouting at you.
Yes, this legislation would provide paid parental leave for new moms and dads.
It would also…
Provide an employee paid leave to navigate their own health issues
Provide an employee paid leave to address substance abuse problems
Provide an employee paid leave to care for a sick family member
Provide an employee paid leave to grieve the death of a family member
Raise your hand if you fall into one of the above categories. My guess is you're probably raising your hand right now because even if none of these situations apply to you right now, they probably will in the future.
So, let me repeat: THIS IS NOT JUST A MOM'S ISSUE.
This whole fight has also highlighted just how much our experiences are not just shaped by our own decisions and behaviors, but by the systems and communities we exist within.
Think of it this way.
There's the "I" - Things impacted by me.
There's the "We" - Things impacted by my relationships or the community I live in.
There's the "It" - Things impacted by the formal systems I exist within.
If I am a mom who feels completely overwhelmed by the responsibilities and expectations I have on a daily basis, there is only so much control I have to improve my situation. Trust me, as a coach I 100% believe we have control. But if I have a child who comes down with a severe illness and I have to choose between caring for my child and showing up for work, all the boundaries in the world aren't going to give me a paycheck to pay the medical bills, the rent, etc.
But what about family and community? Their "village" should chip in and help with care!
Sure, but that's not what our communities look like these days. As I've written about in a previous article, we have become more and more an individualist culture that believes in personal responsibility. Your problems are not my problems.
And, so, here we are. Fighting for a paltry 4 weeks (at the time of writing) of Paid Leave to improve a system that is currently doing very little to support us and very often feels like it’s fighting against us.
Believe it or not, this is not meant to be a downer article. On the contrary, the "We" and the "It" from above are made up of a whole bunch of "I's." We all have the power to use our individual voices and actions to influence our relationships, our communities, and our societies. But we have to make the choice to lean in and exercise that influence. If any one of us chooses to opt-out, we all lose.
So here's my ask of you. Lean in with your individual voice. Contact your representatives. Share this on social media. Talk with your friends and family members. Donate to organizations that are organizing all the voices into one loud scream. Personally, I donate to PL + US (Paid Leave for the U.S.), but there are others working toward this cause. Join us and let's make a positive change for us all.