Report Says Government Lags

A report by the congressional Joint Economic Committee said that about three-fourths of the largest 100 private sector firms offer paid parental leave to mothers, typically of six to eight weeks, and about a third offer it to fathers, typically two weeks. Paid parental leave also is common in other major industrial nations, it said. Only 8 percent of private sector firms in total offer paid parental leave, it said, but federal employee benefits policies typically are compared with those of larger employers such as the Fortune 100.