In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama came out in full support of paid family leave, an option that’s currently unavailable for most families in the U.S.
“It’s time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us,” he said.
New research suggests that, if these policies become a reality, the relationships of young Americans might look very different. A study out of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that, when given the option, the majority of men and women between 18 and 32 preferred egalitarian relationships, where the man and woman split financial and domestic responsibilities. This type of relationship was especially preferable once hypothetical policies supporting a dual-earner, dual-caregiver lifestyle were offered to participants.
–
Should Obama make good on his promise to pursue paid family leave, the 39 percent of private-sector workers in America who don’t currently have access to paid leave will have the opportunity to rethink their priorities. This study suggests that young Americans today are likely to continue to pursue support systems, like paid family leave, subsidized childcare and work-from-home options — these aren’t just women’s issues anymore.
“This generation is more egalitarian than any other generation we’ve had before,” Thébaud said. “They should fight for the kinds of policies that are going to let them live up to that ideal that they hold.”
