Increasing Access to Paid Family and Medical Leave Among Hispanic Service Sector Workers

• In Event: Employment Instability, Working-Time Employment Policies, and Economic, Health, and Work-Family Wellbeing

Abstract

Paid family and medical leave (PFML) policy helps working families maintain economic stability during health crises or the arrival of a new child (Jones & Wilcher 2024). Thirteen states operate PFML programs, yet passing a law does not guarantee all workers will know about and use these benefits. Hispanic workers, many of whom are immigrants employed in low-wage service sector jobs, are among those likely to need leave yet face several barriers in accessing it (BLS 2026). While underutilization of public benefit programs among Hispanic families is well documented, less is known about what drives this gap or how to address it (Bitler et al. 2021).

This qualitative pilot study examines barriers and facilitators of PFML access and take-up among Hispanic service sector workers in Massachusetts, where PFML has been available since 2021. We draw on semi-structured interviews in English and Spanish with 15 staff from diverse community-based organizations (CBOs), and 11 workers in service jobs (e.g. cleaning, maintenance, hospitality) who experienced a need for leave in the past five years. Workers were recruited through CBO referrals and ongoing snowball sampling.

Findings confirm well-documented barriers to program take-up, including limited awareness of PFML, language access challenges, and affordability constraints that can lead some workers to forgo leave or return to work early. Interviews also begin to surface gender and cultural dynamics consistent with emerging research on Latino immigrant men and low health care use and public benefit take-up (Carrillo 2024).

Workplace constraints are pervasive. Employers in the service sector can fail to provide workers with any PFML information, supervisors can misinform workers about their eligibility, and workers report both fear of and actual retaliation for taking leave. One worker, with the support of a legal services organization, learned her rights, took leave, and successfully reclaimed her job after being told she could not return. Another worker knew about PFML from HR but only discovered through a crisis that she could take PFML for a foster care placement and the child's mental health issues.

Immigrant workers face program design and implementation barriers, including denials if applying with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) despite being eligible. The capacity to assist with these complexities can vary. Worker centers and legal services organizations may be better positioned to navigate ITIN and work authorization nuances than health clinic staff.

Concerns about immigration enforcement can also influence take-up. Workers expressed concern about how their personal information may be used and fear that accessing benefits could jeopardize immigration status or citizenship applications. One worker completed the application process but ultimately chose not to claim benefits due to these fears, highlighting how the current policy environment can deter utilization even among eligible workers.

These preliminary findings underscore that Hispanic workers face barriers that likely cannot be addressed through PFML awareness campaigns alone. Study participants offer actionable solutions including clear eligibility guidance for ITIN holders, explicit privacy protections that PFML data will not be shared with immigration enforcement, stronger employer accountability, and culturally tailored outreach particularly for Latino men.

Author

• Pamela Kumari Joshi, Boston University
  Presenting Author