IPV and Paid Leave Policies: Impact on State-level Services

• In Event: Policy Interventions for Domestic Violence Prevention and Support: Evaluating Impacts and Implementation

Abstract

As early as 2004, state legislatures have used state-level leave policies to protect the employment of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Formal policies like allowing IPV survivors to take leave from work with a percentage of pay, are aimed at helping IPV survivors maintain financial stability for themselves and their families. However, such policies remain largely untested by researchers. For the current study, a policy database was collected using existing publications, state legislative websites, and national reports of IPV organization and shelter services. Using a sample of all 50 States, a series of correlations and Independent Samples T-test analyses were used to examine the statistical significance of state-leave policies and their variations (e.g. time, percentage of pay, etc.) on IPV services. The results indicate that total rates of individuals served, children served, and those served in transitional housing were not significantly related to states having paid leave (1) or not having paid leave (0) laws for employees. However, the number of individuals served in hotels or motels was significantly higher in states with paid leave laws (p =0.01). Two implications can be drawn from this finding: 1) Survivors might be more likely to receive advocacy/IPV assistance in states with paid leave laws (especially those survivors who do not qualify for traditional IPV shelters) and 2) Survivors might be more likely to afford the cost of staying in temporary housing when fleeing toxic relationships if they are living in states with paid-leave. State-level policy makers should support paid leave policies, specifically those that extend leave to IPV survivors. Future research should consider other state-laws that might protect and support IPV survivors as well as accessibility of temporary housing across subgroups of survivors.

Author

• Kathryn K Showalter, University of Kentucky
  Presenting Author