A survey cited in the report that was taken from September to October and co-sponsored by the National Employment Law Project, found that 28% of Latina women had taken days off without pay or quit a job to take care of a child or elderly relative. That was compared to 27% of Black women, 12% of white women and 12% of men.
"We've seen much higher rates of housing insecurity with people unable to make rent or mortgage payments, and food insecurity,'' Mason says of the pandemic. "All of those hardships are falling much more heavily on communities of color.’’
Even when employers do have paid leave policies, the decision to grant time off often varies according to who is asking for it, the report found. Among Black employees who participated in the survey taken last fall, nearly 3 in 10 said their requests have been turned down as compared to 9% of white workers.
"Their employer can prevent them from taking it, or retaliate,'' Mason says. "In the middle of a pandemic … those are disparities putting the health and well being of workers of color at risk.’’
The Federal Family and Medical Leave Act offers job protection to workers who take unpaid leave. But it applies to only roughly 50% of workers and its rigid guidelines often leave out many employees of color, according to the NPWF.
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