Primary Submission Category: Structural factors
Racial-citizenship status disparities in unmet needed paid leave among Californians
Authors: Alein Haro-Ramos Adrian Bacong
Presenting Author: Alein Haro-Ramos*
Abstract
Paid leave has been a critical policy recommendation to allow workers to take time off when ill and for family-related reasons, including taking care of a sick family member or tending to a newborn.
Research Objective: To examine racial-citizenship status disparities in unmet paid leave—or needing but not being able to take paid leave—among employed Californians in 2021.
Study Design: This cross-sectional study used a representative sample of California residents. Weighted, multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess disparities in foregone paid leave across racial-citizenship status categories, including noncitizen, naturalized, and citizen Latinxs and Asians, relative to US-born Whites, controlling for demographic, familial, health-related, and work-related covariates.
Population Studied: We examine a representative sample of Californians using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). A total of 24,453 people completed the CHIS from March to October 2021. We restrict our analysis to those who had complete data, were employed at the time of the survey, and were part of our race and ethnic groups of interest for an analytical sample of 11,9515 adult respondents.
Principal Findings: While 16.9% of employed Californians reported forgoing needed paid leave, disparities across race/ethnicity and citizenship status were evident. Specifically, 31.8% of Noncitizen Latinxs, compared to 11% of US-born Whites, did not use paid leave when they needed it due to fear of job loss or hurting job advancement, employers denying it, lack of information or knowledge regarding the process, or ineligibility. In the fully adjusted analyses, Noncitizen Latinxs (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.93, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) = 2.22 – 3.89), Noncitizen Asians (OR = 2.5, 95% CI =1.81 – 3.43), noncitizen Whites (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.07 – 3.19), naturalized Latinxs (OR = 2.05, 95% CI=1.58 – 2.65), naturalized Asians (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.39 – 2.38), and US-born Latinxs (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.13 – 1.70) had a statistically significant higher odds of experiencing foregone needed paid leave compared to US-born Whites.
Conclusions: Despite its importance for health, disparities across race/ethnicity and citizenship status exist in those who experience unmet paid leave.
Implications for Policy or Practice:
While California has established its state-based paid sick and family leaves, we find disparities in who takes paid leave, signaling a need for better implementation and enforcement efforts to ensure equitable access to paid leave. Targeted outreach to marginalized workers and a simplified application process are needed to ensure that every Californian can take time off for health- and family-related reasons without fearing economic insecurity.