Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School
College for Community Health
Department/Program
Family Science and Human Development
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Miriam R. Linver
Committee Member
Soyoung Lee
Committee Member
Constance Gager
Abstract
This dissertation provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of Finland’s Family Leave Act, the United States’ Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and New Jersey’s Family Leave Act (NJFLA), guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s policy analytical framework. The dissertation begins by contextualizing the history of women and work to provide context for how societal perceptions of women’s roles in work and family evolved over time, as well as the gender inequality issues women faced and the evolution of policies that tried to address gender inequality. The dissertation employs the CDC's policy analytical framework to assess the design, implementation, and outcomes of Finland’s Family Leave Act, FMLA, and NJFLA. Factors such as public health impact, feasibility, economic impact, budgetary issues, and operational issues were rigorously analyzed. Additionally, the dissertation employs Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as an analytical framework; this theory highlights the interactions between individuals and the various nested systems that shape their experiences, ranging from the microsystem (individual level) to the macrosystem (societal level). Findings from the analysis demonstrated that Finland's Family Leave Act consistently outperformed FMLA and NJFLA, offering longer leave durations, higher payment rates, inclusive eligibility criteria, and robust job protection measures. The results shed light on the effectiveness of Finland's maternity leave policies, indicating how these policies mirror the nation's commitment to equality and fairness, evident across all ecological systems. The findings highlight the need for policy amendments at both the state and federal levels to support individuals and families. Recommendations for NJFLA amendments were presented, including (1) alignment with FMLA eligibility criteria, (2) coordination of NJFLA and FMLA leave provisions to avoid overlap and confusion, and (3) increasing access to NJFLA by lowering the employer size requirement to 5 employees.
File Format
Recommended Citation
Denholtz, Carlee, "Who gets it right? A critical policy analysis of United States' and Finland's maternity leave policies" (2024). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1467.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1467
