“You kind of feel like you’re behind, and it’s just nice to feel like we’re catching up,” [Sammamish worker Maia] Knox said of the new benefit.

Both political parties recognize that adopting a national policy is good for business, families, state government, and the overall economy and country. The only question is how we will get it done.

Only policies that meet our complex needs can allow us to be ourselves whether at work or beyond. That’s why in addition to advocating for housing and job security, I’m a trans activist fighting for paid family and medical leave – one of the policies that is urgently needed for the trans community.

“There’s a lot of women that aren’t able to work full-time full-year, and there are consequences to this,” [study co-author and labor economist Stephen Rose] said. More than 40 percent of today’s women workers have taken at least one year off with no earnings, typically to care for children or aging or ailing family members, the study said.

Gov. Jeff Colyer signed a paid parental leave executive order Wednesday that will apply to more than 17,000 state employees.

When Dwyane Wade introduced his newborn daughter and announced he would take time away from basketball to be a father, I braced myself for the backlash. Instead, he and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, were greeted with congratulations from teammates, celebrities and fans.

I never dreamed about the questions I would face when broaching the subject of maternity leave as an adoptive mother.

All parents of children face challenges balancing work, child-rearing, and family responsibilities. However, parents of children with disabilities often perform caregiving duties related to their child’s disability, beyond what is typical for child-rearing.

Regardless of how many women win, advocates say the attention candidates are bringing to the issue should resonate in the new Congress and potentially change national policies.

Future mothers and fathers, currently pregnant women and soon-to-be dads, new moms and dads, seasoned parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends and coworkers: We all need to speak up. Our voices can effect change for the next generation of working parents. Here’s how to get informed and fight for paid leave.