--- title: "Study: Working Parents Fear Losing Jobs and Pay When Kids Get Sick" id: "13999" type: "post" slug: "study-working-parents-fear-losing-jobs-and-pay-when-kids-get-sick" published_at: "2012-10-24T14:38:39+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:01:34+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/24/study-working-parents-fear-losing-jobs-and-pay-when-kids-get-sick/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/24/study-working-parents-fear-losing-jobs-and-pay-when-kids-get-sick.md" excerpt: "A sick child poses a tough choice for working parents, a University of Michigan survey finds." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "family policy" - "sick leave" - "work-life balance" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Study: Working Parents Fear Losing Jobs and Pay When Kids Get Sick As cold and flu season looms, working parents are worried about how to care for their sick kids without getting on the wrong side of the boss, a new study says. > It’s a solemn choice, a terrible choice that families have to make all the time. One-third of parents are concerned about losing pay or their job when they have to stay home and take care of a sick child, according to the [University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health (opens in a new tab)](http://mottnpch.org/reports-surveys/sick-kids-struggling-parents) , released Monday. And 31 percent said their employers do not provide enough sick days to cover the care their children need when they’re ill. “When a child is sick, parents must either take time off from work, make other child-care arrangements, or try to get immediate medical care in order to comply with exclusion policies for the child-care setting,” the report said. “One-half of parents with children in child care report that finding alternative or backup child care for their sick children is difficult.” “Parents make the choice between taking care of their sick child—and who doesn’t want to take care of a sick child?—and keeping their job and being able to bring in the money to support that child,” said Ellen Galinsky, president and cofounder of the nonprofit Families and Work Institute (FWI). “It’s a solemn choice, a terrible choice that families have to make all the time.” FWI’s [2012 National Study of Employers (opens in a new tab)](http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/NSE_2012_.pdf) found that while 87 percent of the organizations surveyed said they allow “some” employees to take time off during the day to attend to important family or personal needs—such as care of a sick child—without loss of pay, only 55 percent provide “all or most” employees with the same benefit. The study surveyed more than 1,100 employers with at least 50 employees, 25 percent of which were nonprofits. “Some employers don’t even have sick time,” said Galinsky. “And you’ll see that…if you are a low-income employee, you’re much less likely to get [sick time].” Do associations do enough to help employees caring for sick children? What policies does your organization have in place? (TMG archive photo) [Rob Stott](https://associationsnow.com/author/rob-stott/) Rob Stott is a contributing editor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/rob-stott/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#family policy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/family-policy/) [#sick leave](https://associationsnow.com/tag/sick-leave/) [#work-life balance](https://associationsnow.com/tag/work-life-balance/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2012%2F10%2F24%2Fstudy-working-parents-fear-losing-jobs-and-pay-when-kids-get-sick%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !