I n his 1985 book Family and Nation, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote, "No government, however firm might be its wish, can avoid having policies that profoundly influence family relationships. This is not to be avoided. The only option is whether these will be purposeful, intended polices or whether they will be residual, derivative, in a sense, concealed." As Moynihan knew, government policies have real effects on the lives of families, producing real and often unintended consequences. Sometimes this is the result, as Moynihan implied, of policymakers not fully understanding the scope of their actions. But, just as often, it can be the result of changing patterns within the American family itself. Indeed, over the past generation the American family has changed dramatically, but the policies designed to mitigate the risks it faces have remained frozen in time, many of them operating on rules developed in the midst of the Great Depression. As a result, the most vulnerable families in the new economy all too often wind up with limited protection in times of need.

Recent efforts to fashion policies to respond to the strains on modern families have focused, for the most part, on providing job-protected leave to help Americans balance work and family responsibilities. After years of partisan wrangling, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993; since then, progressives have focused on expanding the FMLA to more workers, allowing workers to take time off to attend school activities and doctors’ appointments, and providing workers sick leave for their own or a relative’s illness.