Connecticut paid leave shows high early take-up and near parity in parental claims, researcher says

Jessica Mason, senior policy analyst for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, told the Paid Leave Podcast that Connecticut’s paid-leave program produced strong early use and surprising gender parity in parental claims.

"About 1 in 3 used Connecticut paid leave that very first year," Mason said, describing first-year uptake among eligible new parents. She added that, in more recent data she reviewed, "men were filing 49% of all parental leave claims," a shift toward parity she described as an encouraging signal for gender equity in caregiving.

Mason credited a combination of statewide outreach, program design and community-driven advocacy for the program’s uptake. She said Connecticut’s statutory language intentionally included caregivers "related by blood or affinity" to reflect chosen-family caregiving arrangements common in LGBT and disabled communities. Mason characterized use of those chosen-family provisions as modest, saying they represent "just a couple percent of the total family leaves." She argued that the broader eligibility better reflects how people actually provide care without materially increasing program costs.

Host Nancy Barrow and Mason also noted Connecticut’s operational performance. "One of the things that we're proud of is that this program was built on time and under budget," Barrow said; Mason compared that successful rollout to other states that have recently stood up programs and highlighted interstate sharing of procurement, RFP and IT lessons as a factor smoothing implementations.

The guest placed Connecticut in a broader trend of states creating paid-leave programs from scratch, which she said offers new opportunities to measure outcomes and improve design. Mason said state-level programs have produced usable research on who takes leave and how programs affect health and economic outcomes, information she and her organization translate for policymakers and the public.

The podcast closed with a resource for listeners: "For more information or to apply for benefits, please go to ctpaidleave.org," Barrow said.

The episode did not record any formal votes, motions or legislative actions; it was an interview-style discussion of research and program experience.