Introduction
The article discusses the barriers that gender minorities, particularly women and broader American employees, experience in the workplace in the United States. Specifically, the author emphasizes the inadequacies of the existing job protection and compensation system in the US. The article first outlines the rising costs of childcare and elderly care, followed by explaining the inability of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to meet those increasing challenges. After considering the family leaves policies implemented in Rhode Island, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other industrialized countries as exemplary models, the author provides some practical policy recommendations.
People, Groups, Organizations
The article primarily concerns working-class Americans and management in the face of employers as the policies discussed can directly affect the lives of these individuals. The author also includes lawmakers in the US Federal Government, particularly the US Department of Labor and State Governments, in the discussion. The source also refers to the social work centers, including the Center for American Progress and the Center for the Childcare Workforce.
Author’s Position
Janice Arellano has a Doctor of Law degree from James E. Beasley School of Law from Temple University. Hence, the author has sufficient qualifications to discuss the topic. Their position as a female with Latino-Hispanic origins can be one of the factors that shaped their ultimate concern for the given issue. In other words, inadequate family policies primarily harm women workers and immigrant, low-income, minority communities.
Connection with the NASW Code of Ethics
The article relates to several aspects of the NASW Code of Ethics. The social justice value from the NASW Code of Ethics is relevant to the report. This value emphasizes that social workers should challenge social injustices. NASW Code of Ethics also focuses on the importance of human relationships, which is based on the ethical principle that social workers should acknowledge the importance of family relationships for individual happiness. This value is related to the article since the author assumes that family care is an essential aspect of human happiness undermined under the existing inadequate family care policies.