Abstract
Currently, two in three family caregivers for older adults are in the labor force, facing the conflicting demands for work and care. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), introduced in 1993, provides 12-week time off work for workers to care for their family members. But, because it is unpaid leave offered at the discretion of employers, utilization of the FMLA are still low. Studies have shown that paid family leave, implemented in CA, NJ, and RI, promotes use of leave that positively affects working parents with a newborn and their babies. However, we know less about the impacts of paid family leave on family caregivers with older adults. This study examines the effects of access to paid family leave on care time among family caregivers with older relatives, using the 2011 American Time Use Survey and its Leave Module. Access to paid family leave is instrumented by state legislation of paid family leave, assuming that the employers in CA, NJ, and RI are more likely than the employers in other states without the paid leave law to provide paid family leave to their employees. The estimates show that access to paid family leave increases time spent caring for and helping with the older relatives outside the household. An increase in time spent helping due to access to paid family leave is marginally significant. Results also indicate that paid family leave is more beneficial for dealing with acute care needs for a non-household member than long-term care needs.