Meghan Markle penned an open letter to Congress calling for universal paid leave for parents of new children, saying the option should be available to all families across the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • Meghan Markle penned an open letter to Congress calling for universal paid leave for parents of new children

  • The letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was published on the website Paid Leave for All 

  • The Duchess of Sussex also cited the “long-existing fault lines” in family support that were further exposed because of COVID-19

  • The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires companies with over 50 employees to offer some form of parental leave, although it can be unpaid

The 40-year-old and her husband, Prince Harry, welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, in June of this year. They are now a family of four, with big brother Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor turing two in May. 

The letter, published on the website Paid Leave for All, was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Markle wrote in part: “Paid leave should be a national right, rather than a patchwork option limited to those whose employers have policies in place, or those who live in one of the few states where a leave program exists.” 

“If we’re going to create a new era of family first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave program for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty,” Markle added. 

The Duchess of Sussex also cited the “long-existing fault lines” in family support that were further exposed because of COVID-19, especially as women left the workforce at record rates at the start of the pandemic. 

“At an alarming rate, millions of women dropped out of the workforce, staying home with their kids as schools and daycares were closed, and looking after loved ones full-time,” Markle wrote. “The working mom or parent is facing the conflict of being present or being paid. The sacrifice of either comes at a great cost.” 

Markle also reflected on her own childhood in her letter, where she recalled working at the age of 13 at a frozen yogurt shop in order to help her parents make ends meet.

Markle said saving was a luxury she usually could not afford, adding that she waited tables, babysat, and did other odd jobs on the side of getting an education as well. 

“I expect many of your constituents have their own version of that story,” Markle said in her letter. “Perhaps you do too. People in our country work incredibly hard, and yet the ask is soft: for a level playing field to achieve their version of a common dream—what is fair, and equal, and right.” 

There is a growing national debate on paid parental leave, especially as Congress continues to debate the contents and price tag of President Joe Biden’s paired spending bills: One is a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, which passed the U.S. Senate in August. Another, related proposal is a $3.5 trillion spending bill to expand the social safety net and address climate change.

That second bill — at least, what was included in Biden’s original proposal — would create a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program, which would give workers partial wages should they have to take time off to care for a sick relative or newborn child, among other stipulations. Biden’s proposal would guarantee 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and workers could receive up to $4,000 a month, or equivalent to a minimum of two-thirds of average weekly pay for an individual. 

But earlier this week, that provision came into jeopardy. As Democrats try to narrow down the spending to appease more fiscally conservative lawmakers, paid parental leave came to the forefront of the proposed chopping block, with reported talks to whittle the 12-week leave down to four weeks.  

The reported cuts did not sit well with more progressive members of the Senate, more than a dozen of whom penned a letter to Biden, Pelosi and Schumer emphasizing the “critical need for a federal paid family and medical leave program” to be included in the final package. 

“We urge you to include a national paid leave program that is meaningful, comprehensive and permanent in the Build Back Better Act,” the lawmakers wrote in part. “It must be universal to cover all workers, provide progressive wage replacement to help the lowest wage earners, and cover all existing types of leave with parity. This is one of our top policy priorities in this historic legislation.” 

While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) does require certain employers to offer some form of parental leave, the requirements only apply to companies with 50 or more employees, and the 12 weeks may be unpaid leave, depending on the employer. 

According to a report from the Joint Economic Committee Democrats, only 23% of Americans have access to paid family leave through their jobs, with those numbers decreasing for workers in low-income jobs.