{"id":63477,"date":"2018-02-05T10:10:39","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T15:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/hrc-releases-first-of-its-kind-survey-of-lgbtq-community-on-need-for-paid-family-and-medical-leave\/"},"modified":"2018-02-05T10:10:39","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T15:10:39","slug":"hrc-releases-first-of-its-kind-survey-of-lgbtq-community-on-need-for-paid-family-and-medical-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/hrc-releases-first-of-its-kind-survey-of-lgbtq-community-on-need-for-paid-family-and-medical-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"HRC Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Survey of LGBTQ Community on Need for Paid Family and Medical Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"

HRC Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Survey of LGBTQ Community on Need for Paid Family and Medical Leave<\/b>
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HRC Foundation\u00a0released a report<\/a> detailing the results of its groundbreaking nationwide survey of LGBTQ people that reveals an urgent need for inclusive employer-paid family and medical leave. It comes on the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law guaranteeing certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year.<\/p>\n

More than 5.400 LGBTQ people from all 50 states responded to HRC\u2019s 2018 U.S. LGBTQ Paid Leave Survey<\/a>, the largest and most comprehensive ever of its kind, and the results are sobering: only 45 percent<\/strong> of respondents reported that their employers offer leave policies – paid or unpaid – that are inclusive of LGBTQ families and identities. And, when compared to the overall U.S. population surveyed in a recent Pew Research poll, LGBTQ respondents reported heightened concerns<\/strong> about accessing leave, citing potential loss of income and adverse workplace outcomes from having to disclose their LGBTQ identities through leave requests. They also reported higher rates of simply foregoing needed or desired leave to avoid those significant downsides.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should have to choose between who they are, the people they love and the job they need,\u201d said Mary Beth Maxwell, HRC\u2019s Senior Vice President for Senior Vice President for Programs, Research, and Training. \u201cAs the only developed nation in the world without some form of guaranteed paid leave policy, American workers, including LGBTQ employees, are too often forced to either forgo their income or leave their job entirely to treat an illness, care for a loved one, or grow their family. Increasingly, forward-thinking employers are offering paid leave because it\u2019s good for families and businesses both. \u00a0These survey results underscore the urgent need for paid and inclusive leave policies for LGBTQ workers of all ages and in every field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the survey<\/a>\u2019s revealing findings:<\/p>\n