FV@W Doubles Down on Commitment to Care Movement Following the Presidential Election Results

Family Values @ Work and our Network remain steadfast in our more than 20-year commitment to realizing paid family and medical leave, paid sick and safe days, and affordable child care for all. This election cycle, we know that care was not just an issue, but rather the issue driving people to the ballot box.

Our leaders are obligated to do the will of the people, and poll after poll shows bipartisan support for paid family and medical leave. Support for caregivers should be seen as an investment in the well-being of the entire community, not a personal burden.

2024 was a decision point about the future of our democracy. Authoritarian movements historically have used a narrow definition of family to control and marginalize people. Families in the United States come in many forms and defending our diverse democracy includes honoring all types of families and the ways they care for themselves.

Authoritarian movements also use restrictive gender roles to reinforce inequities and the patriarchy. Elected officials’ resistance to an equitable care economy that includes paid family and medical leave, paid sick and safe days, and high-quality, affordable child care is another way they seek to control women’s choices and restrict working people’s opportunities.

No matter who is in the White House, our work to win a federal paid family and medical leave policy, sick and safe days, and affordable, high-quality childcare for all continues. We will continue to push through the resistance to inclusive, equitable policies that support all workers and all families. We will educate the public and amplify the will of the people, to demand legislators answer to us and not the call of their pockets.