The 19th is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that reports on gender, politics and policy. It’s also an outlier and pioneer in its parental leave policy, offering full-time staffers six months paid leave after a new birth, adoption or foster placement. In a nation where 77% of private sector employees lack any paid leave and one in four moms returns to work within 10-14 days of giving birth, it’s refreshing to see such a progressive policy from an organization that shapes how we see and understand the world around us.
We checked in with Emily Ramshaw (left), co-founder and CEO of The 19th, to learn more.
Q: Why is it important that a company you lead offers six months paid leave?
A: Anyone who’s ever been a new parent knows how difficult and emotional it is to navigate the arrival of a child and the pressures of return-to-work. Our aim is to give caregivers the flexibility to recover from childbirth, to bond with their children and to devote 100 percent of their attention to their families, without staring anxiously at their calendars or their bank accounts.
We wanted to set an industry standard, and six months felt like the right place to start.’
Q: What led to the policy? Personal experience? Research on the benefits of paid leave to children and families? A desire to retain talent?
A: We wanted to set an industry standard, and six months felt like the right place to start. Too many new parents — mothers in particular — are forced to make an impossible choice in journalism, between the news business and their families. That leads to enormous attrition of supremely talented people we desperately need to keep in the field, and advancing to the highest levels of leadership. If we can support them in the sandwich generation years, the intense caregiving years, the whole industry benefits long-term.
Q: One of your stated values is to ‘advance human rights, civil rights, racial justice and gender equity through storytelling that exposes disparities and empathizes with the lived experiences of those we cover.’ Is a family-friendly leave policy an attempt to square your company values with your company policies?
A: Absolutely. But it was also the exact right thing to do.
Q: Do you consider yourself a role model for other media companies? Other industries?
A: I hope so. If a scrappy nonprofit newsroom can offer these types of caregiving and family leave policies, can’t the big dogs?