This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When it comes to family-friendly policies, Utah's performance is dismal. The new "Expecting Better" report from the National Partnership for Women and Families measures each state's efforts in family-promoting legislation. Utah failed again. In 2005, Utah received a D-minus. In 2012, Utah got an F.
If the old adage is true, that the way you spell love is T-I-M-E, Utah's working families are getting shortchanged.
We can hardly claim that Utah's high number of stay-at-home parents makes such policies unnecessary. Consider these statistics: Utah has a higher female rate of work force participation than the national average, a higher divorce rate than the national average, and a high proportion of Utah's working women have spouses and children.
If we had family-friendly legislation that promoted breast-feeding in the workplace, allowed new parents to spend time at home with their babies, and guaranteed parents' rights to take care of sick family members, business would benefit and families could spend more time together.
We have to stand up for our values. If we want Utah to lead the way in being family-friendly, we need to make policies that reflect the importance of families in our lives.
Kaylie Astin
Layton