CARSON CITY - Nevada gets an "F" in a new report analyzing how each state supports - or doesn't support - new parents and families, with policies that encourage paid time off and job protection when people have to take a leave for parenting or care-giving.
The study is from the National Partnership for Women and Families, and co-author Vicki Shabo, the group's vice president, described why Nevada scores so low.
"A state like Nevada gets an 'F' if it has done nothing beyond what federal law requires in terms of family and medical leave, access to workplace accommodations for pregnancy, pregnancy disability leave, or rights for nursing mothers in the workplace," she said.
Shabo said Nevada is among 31 states which scored "D" and "F" grades in the annual report released to coincide with a White House Summit on Working Families held this week. Topics at the conference included paid sick leave, family leave and equal-pay protections for women.
The state with the highest grade in the report is California, which received an "A-minus." In the nation overall, Shabo said, states and employers are adopting more flexible workplace policies that support families - but it's slow.
"There has been some improvement, but not enough," she said. "So, for example, when we first did this report in 2005, there were 19 states that had a grade of 'F,' and now we're at 17 states."
Shabo said the United States is one of only three developed nations in the world that do not guarantee paid maternity leave to new mothers.[[In-content Ad]]
