An estimated 68 percent of married women with children work for pay. The percentage of employees with flexible work hours has almost doubled this decade, to 28, while studies have found commuting and leisure time both up.
Most candidates propose lower taxes as a way to help workers manage job and family responsibilities.
Make dependent care tax credit fully refundable so poor parents owing little or no income tax get full amount as refund. Affordable preschool for all children. Let workers choose time off instead of overtime pay. Expand family leave law to cover firms with 25 or more workers and let parents take time off for teacher visits and child's routine medical appointments. Unspecified extra spending on after-school programs, lower taxes.