Today, there are millions of American workers who struggle with balancing work responsibilities and caring responsibilities for themselves and their dependents. This is partly because of the many variations in paid leave regulations amongst state and local governments. In particular, workers in rural areas experience greater challenges accessing health resources as they have longer commutes to reach medical providers. As a result, rural workers are more acutely affected by gaps in paid leave requirements and are more frequently faced with situations where they must decide between illness or losing income. Labor advocates are pushing for a comprehensive, federal paid leave policy in order to protect workers by guaranteeing sick and family leave.
See "Gaps in paid leave policies are causing many rural US workers to struggle with difficult decisions about finances and health", Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, NPR, January 18, 2023