In late 2019, Congress passed the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) establishing parental leave for most federal civilian employees. The new law provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave within 12 months after the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child occurring on or after October 1, 2020. Despite its recent enactment, this study draws on survey data from 224 civil servants across 39 federal law enforcement agencies to examine the implications of FEPLA for improving work–life balance in the federal sector. Findings suggest that FEPLA will likely improve work–life balance for female civil servants. However, women may also be afraid to use FEPLA due to perceived loss of future promotional opportunities or other workplace visibilities.

2019 年底，国会通过了《联邦雇员带薪休假法》(FEPLA)，为大多数联邦文职雇员规定了育儿假。新法律规定，在 2020 年 10 月 1 日或之后出生、收养或寄养儿童后的 12 个月内最多可​​享受 12 周的带薪休假。尽管最近颁布了该法律，但本研究利用了 224 名公务员的调查数据横跨 39 个联邦执法机构，以检查 FEPLA 对改善联邦部门工作与生活平衡的影响。调查结果表明，FEPLA 可能会改善女性公务员的工作与生活平衡。然而，女性也可能害怕使用 FEPLA，因为她们认为会失去未来的促销机会或其他工作场所的知名度。