Workplace Flexibility at the White House

.  Of course, not everyone has children.  But as a friend recently pointed out, almost all of us have parents.  Nearly one-fifth of employed people in 2009 were caregivers who provided care for a person over the age of 50.   Put simply, the new normal for American families and workers is juggling family caregiving, lifelong learning and work.  In his remarks yesterday, the President acknowledged this – and reiterated the call for the enactment of two Middle Class Task Force proposals that will help improve middle class family economic security:  increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax credit for middle class families and providing more support for people caring for elderly family members or a person with a disability. 

These proposals and workplace flexibility make sense for all workers -not just parents and families.   If you don’t have kids, you might have parents you need to care for, an evening class to attend or a community activity that you care about.  As the President said, “workplace flexibility isn’t just a women’s issue… it reflects our priorities as a society.”

Terrell McSweeny is Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President