Paid family leave is proven to reduce stress, increase child survival rates, improve chances of successful breastfeeding, and give mothers time to physically recover after having a baby. Yet, America is the only developed country in the world without a national policy, forcing many women to return to work before they are ready.

According to industry sources, beginning this year, members of the Iron Workers union will be given six months of paid maternity leave. This female ironworkers' paid maternity leave policy is an important win for women in the workforce, especially since this is occurring in such a male-dominated industry.

In 2015, tech giants Netflix, Microsoft and Amazon all announced paid family leave programs for their employees. Many speculated that this would start a paid leave arms race among top employers. It didn’t… the move was more flash in the pan than watershed.

The online poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners on behalf of Small Business Majority and the Center for American Progress, found that a vast 7 in 10 owners and operators of small businesses support the recently reintroduced Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act.

But paid family leave isn't just critical for public health, it's also critical for a healthy economy. Paid family leave increases labor-force participation for both men and women, encouraging parents to stay in the workforce after they have a child or when they need time away to care for a loved one.

The trend of maternity crowdfunding is pointing to a need for better federal paid maternity leave policies that help women take the necessary time they need when they have a child," Sara Margulis, CEO of Honeyfund.com, said. Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, agrees. "This is evidence of our failure as a nation to adopt policies that provide the basic supports that all workers need at some point in their lives and nearly every other country provides.

I think we can all agree that becoming a caregiver, whether to a new baby or a family member, is a huge undertaking. As an executive business leader of a highly successful tech company, and mother to four, I know what it’s like to make decisions about time management, finances, and spending time with your family. It’s not easy.

About 8 of 10 workers who took leave and received either no or a portion of their pay said they had to cut back on spending to make ends meet...[a]cross all incomes, almost 2 out of 10 leave-takers went on public assistance. Low-income workers feel the most pain when it comes to figuring out how to pay for leave...[a]lmost half delayed paying their bills and went on public assistance.

Juliana Horowitz, associate director of research for Pew... said it wasn't hard to find agreement that paid family leave is a positive thing. "Americans think the overall impact on families and individuals and the economy would be mostly positive. The disagreement really comes on how to provide it, who should provide it and who should be eligible for it."

Heitkamp believes [the FAMILY Act] will benefit... small business owners who sometimes struggle to provide paid family leave to their employees... Linda Steve, a semi-retired certified public accountant, said... "This is not a gender-specific issue, this is a person issue...[whether it's] the birth of the child or the health condition of a parent or a child or a spouse, [having paid leave] makes them a much better employee."