Recommendations for Public Policies

Work, family, and children are primary concerns for every policymaker, employer, and family member. Everyone has parents, and workers without nuclear families have friends and neighbors who function as family and will, at some time, need others to care for them. We need sound policies that are consistent with our values and our bottom line. Despite numerous social changes in how we live and work, public policies have not caught up with the contemporary realities of working families.

Be Aware of Work, Education, Wages, and Poverty Connections

Poverty continues to be a high-risk factor for child development, and the prevalence of children in poverty is a major and growing concern in the United States. Programs that keep families with children above poverty are fiscally conservative because the consequences of poverty have financial costs to society--welfare dependence, criminal behavior, jail time, and other direct expenses.

Support Job and Parent Training

Education and training for mothers on welfare is a good investment. Job training and early childhood education classes for young men should be a top priority for fathers who are not paying child support because they are unemployed or earning very low wages. Programs that assist low-income parents to obtain quality jobs are a good investment and could include assistance with transportation, resume writing, job searches, the purchase of suitable clothing, and job retention services. Education in the responsibilities of parenting should also be required of those parents for whom these classes would be beneficial.

Consider State and Other Government Programs that Provide Paid Family and Medical Leave

The poor are most likely to have a chronically ill family member and least likely to have any sick leave. Long-term costs of health care and psychological costs to families are likely to be reduced with paid family and medical leave. Data collected by the Department of Labor show that caretakers in working families often lose their jobs when another family member becomes seriously ill, a situation that could be prevented if paid or partially paid leave were available.

Explore Options that Provide or Supplement Health Insurance for the Working Poor to Eliminate Health Disparities

Uninsured Americans receive about half the medical care of those with health insurance, and as a result, they tend to be sicker and die sooner. Lack of regular care can result in more expensive care for preventable or treatable conditions and disruptions in learning and development. One reason for these health disparities is that health insurance is tied to employment, and low-wage earners disproportionately do not get insurance benefits at work. Public policies that provide or supplement health insurance or address the relationship between health insurance and employment would help to reduce health disparities in the United States.

Make Small Business Loans Available to Family Businesses

Family businesses make up from 75% to 90% of the business enterprises in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003). Many of these businesses are started by new immigrants or by widowed or divorced women who, because of their lack of the types of job skills, experience, or language proficiency in demand by U.S. employers, would otherwise have difficulty finding an employer who will hire them. Despite their poor fit with the job market, many people have skills that can be used in a small business venture, such as a babysitting service, retail clothing shop, a food store, or a restaurant. Unfortunately, they often have difficulty raising the necessary startup capital from friends and relatives. Small business loans and advice are needed for this significant segment of the population.

Back to Work-Family Recommendations and the Best-Evidence Database