Guest View: HB 228 helps Montana women and families

House Bill 228 will ensure that women will not have to choose between caring for their families and keeping their jobs. Please tell your representative to support HB 228.

Women in Montana are business owners, workers, students, parents and more. Women contribute to our economy and build futures for their families. However, it most often falls to the women in our lives to be the one to take time off to care for a new baby, to assist aging parents, and most recently to coordinate “zoom school,” educational assistance, and care for their children during COVID-19.

Bearing the weight of these additional responsibilities has long-term consequences for women — especially when it comes to career advancement and their ability to increase earning potential over their lifetime. In fact, due to existing inequities (including lesser salary), it is most often the women in the family unit who will leave their employment to deal with family matters.

It’s time for Montana to join the growing number of states across the country who have passed a paid family and medical leave plan. The Montana Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, brought by Rep. Moffie Funk, would work like unemployment insurance so that men and women alike have access to paid leave to care for their families during times of crisis without sacrificing their economic stability.

Women leaving the workforce is also a blow to our economy. Nationally, The Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation’s recent report estimates that the risk of mothers leaving the workforce and reducing hours in order to assume caretaking responsibilities amounts to $64.5 billion per year in lost wages and economic activity.

The Women’s Foundation of Montana is focused on breaking down barriers to equity for Montana’s women and girls. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that a lack of accessible paid family and medical leave is a major barrier for many Montana women to remain in the workplace. It is also a major factor in the economic security of families, many of whom rely on the income of mothers.