Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on California Maternity Leave Consulting.
While the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led many women to temporarily leave the workforce, the years since have seen important gains for working women.
The labor force participation rate for women has recovered to pre-pandemic levels faster than that for men, and recent growth has been particularly strong among prime-age women and the mothers of young children.
Aiding women and mothers’ return to the workforce has been the rise of flexible working arrangements in the wake of the pandemic. Further, tight labor markets in the past few years have led more employers to raise wages and provide expanded benefits in ways that have boosted women’s economic positions.
One of the most important benefits for working women is maternity leave. Unfortunately, the U.S. offers among the least generous parental leave policies of any nation.
While there are few guaranteed protections for new parents at the federal level, some progress has been made in the private sector and, increasingly, through state and local policy change.
To determine the industries offering the best maternity benefits, researchers at California Maternity Leave Consulting analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. See the details of the methodology at the end. Here are the industries with the best benefits for expecting moms.
14. Accommodation & food services
- Composite index: 4.4
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 7%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 0%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 19%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 4%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 19%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 10%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 40%
The accommodation and food services sector comprises establishments providing customers with lodging and/or preparing meals, snacks, and beverages for immediate consumption.
Common occupations among this industry sector include cooks, waiters and waitresses, and lodging managers.
13. Construction
- Composite index: 17.6
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 16%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 3%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 29%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 23%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 21%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 5%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 81%
The construction sector encompasses businesses involved in constructing buildings, engineering projects, site preparation, and land subdivision. This industry employs many different skilled labor occupations such as carpenters, electricians, and construction equipment operators.
12. Retail trade
- Composite index: 22.0
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 27%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 1%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 36%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 14%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 44%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 7%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 72%
Retail trade includes businesses that sell merchandise and offer related services, with two main types of retailers: store retailers, which have physical locations and use advertising to attract customers, and nonstore retailers, which use door-to-door solicitation, infomercials, and other means to market merchandise to the general public.
11. Administrative & support services
- Composite index: 24.2
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 19%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 9%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 30%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 14%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 17%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 12%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 66%
This broad sector includes businesses that perform routine support activities for the day-to-day operations of other organizations.
Some activities performed include office administration, personnel hiring, clerical services, and waste disposal services among many others.
10. Transportation & warehousing
- Composite index: 29.7
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 9%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 0%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 52%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 34%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 50%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 3%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 90%
The transportation and warehousing industry sector comprises businesses involved in passenger and cargo transportation, warehousing, and scenic and sightseeing transportation.
The industry employs workers such as airline pilots, bus drivers, and sailors among others.
9. Real estate & leasing
- Composite index: 39.6
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 17%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 9%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 39%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 27%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 29%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 13%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 89%
This industry includes businesses that rent, lease, or manage tangible and intangible assets, such as real estate, equipment, patents, and trademarks.
It also involves activities like real estate management, property sales, rentals, and appraisals, with a focus on asset leasing and management.
8. Educational services
- Composite index: 48.4
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 35%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 9%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 44%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 56%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 47%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 12%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 59%
The Educational Services sector encompasses institutions that offer instruction and training often from schools, colleges, universities, or training centers.
These establishments may be public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, and may provide additional services like food and accommodation.
Instruction is typically provided by qualified instructors using in-person classes, online platforms, and specialized approaches for students with specific needs.
7. Health care & social assistance
- Composite index: 50.6
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 31%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 4%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 38%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 44%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 54%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 16%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 88%
This industry sector comprises establishments that offer health care and social assistance services for individuals, all delivered by trained health practitioners or social workers with the requisite expertise.
Nurses, home health aides, and medical and health service managers are just a few of the occupations that compose the health care and social assistance industry.
6. Manufacturing
- Composite index: 58.2
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 30%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 7%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 63%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 46%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 53%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 11%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 96%
This industry includes businesses that transform materials into new products, typically using power-driven machines and materials-handling equipment in plants, factories, and mills.
However, it also encompasses manual or home-based production and establishments that sell products made on-site, like bakeries and custom tailors.
5. Wholesale trade
- Composite index: 61.5
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 30%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 14%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 57%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 47%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 45%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 16%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 93%
The Wholesale Trade sector involves businesses that sell merchandise to other businesses — primarily goods for resale, capital goods, and raw materials.
They often operate from warehouses or offices with minimal or no public display.
4. Utilities
- Composite index: 73.6
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 48%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 4%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 63%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 88%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 77%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 11%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 100%
The Utilities sector includes businesses offering utility services such as electricity generation and distribution, natural gas distribution, steam supply, water treatment and distribution, and sewage collection, treatment, and disposal.
3. Professional, scientific & technical services
- Composite index: 75.8
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 40%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 42%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 59%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 56%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 50%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 47%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 92%
This broad sector includes businesses that offer specialized services that often require a high degree of expertise and training, such as legal, accounting, engineering, computer, and consulting services.
Occupations found in this sector can range from technical occupations like architectural and civil drafters, all the way to lawyers and other legal professionals.
2. Information
- Composite index: 83.5
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 55%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 19%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 74%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 73%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 60%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 33%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 92%
The information sector encompasses businesses involved in producing, distributing, and processing information and cultural products.
Its main components include publishing, motion pictures, sound recording, broadcasting, telecommunications, web search portals, data processing, and information services.
1. Finance & insurance
- Composite index: 95.6
- Share of workers with access to paid family leave: 57%
- Share of workers with flexible workplace options: 33%
- Share of workers with access to short-term disability insurance: 76%
- Share of workers with access to long-term disability insurance: 77%
- Share of workers with access to wellness programs: 79%
- Share of workers with flexible schedule options: 40%
- Share of workers with paid vacation days: 98%
This industry involves establishments engaged in financial transactions, including raising funds and incurring liabilities, pooling of risk by underwriting insurance and annuities, providing specialized financial services, and monetary control by authorities.
Some occupations in the finance and insurance sector include accountants, auditors, loan officers, and tellers.
Methodology
The data used in this study is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Employee Benefits Survey.
To determine the industries offering the best maternity benefits, researchers at California Maternity Leave Consulting created a composite index based on the following factors for private-industry workers:
- Percentage of workers with access to paid family leave
- Percentage of workers with flexible workplace options
- Percentage of workers with access to short-term disability insurance
- Percentage of workers with access to long-term disability insurance
- Percentage of workers with access to wellness programs
- Percentage of workers with flexible schedule options
- Percentage of workers with paid vacation days
