One defining characteristic of early parenthood in the United States is the scramble to secure child care. In the absence of publicly available paid parental leave, most American parents are forced to take as little time off work as possible following the birth of a child. As if caring for an infant is not hard enough, many endure sleepless nights, only to rise for an eight-hour workday the next morning. But it does not have to be this way. In Fixing Parental Leave, Gayle Kaufman provides a blueprint for how we can change the dismal state of parental leave policies in the United States.

Kaufman first details the current state of affairs for new parents. As is often cited, the United States is the only high-income country in the world that does not provide any public form of paid parental leave. The only existing federal policy is the Family and Medical Leave Act, providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Yet less than 60 percent of workers are eligible for this benefit, and only 38 percent of those eligible can afford to take unpaid time off. The absence of paid parental leave in the United States comes at a great cost. In countries where paid leave is available, mothers, fathers, and children are healthier; mothers have better work outcomes; fathers have stronger bonds with their children; and businesses benefit from improved worker morale an