Are State Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs a Safety Net for Working Single Mothers?

The United States lacks a federal paid leave program for workers’ health and caregiving needs, but since the publication of Making Ends Meet, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have created paid leave insurance programs. Still, most states lack such programs, and existing programs have a variety of employment-based eligibility rules that may limit access for low- and middle-income single mothers. We use the Survey of Income and Program Participation to estimate eligibility rates and benefit generosity for a national sample of single mothers (N = 2,388) under thirteen state paid leave programs, overall and by likely need, income, and race or ethnicity. We find that paid leave offers a safety net for working single mothers only when program design choices related to eligibility, wage replacement rates, and job protection are adequate. Many states appear to have chosen between broad eligibility and generosity, although two of the newest programs in Oregon and Colorado offer working single mothers both.