In a free market, most actors respond to uncertainty with hesitance. Just as the marketplace drags from uncertainties in macroeconomic tax and interest rate policy, so too do labor markets react to uncertainty about the privileges the government mandates employers must provide. Mandating such privileges as maternity leave and paid sick leave in the name of eliminating labor market discrimination will only kill jobs and stifle economic growth, says Richard Epstein, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Proponents claim that the United States has failed to enact meaningful protections that allow workers to accommodate the demands of work and family.

This failure is out of step with countries around the world and with international human rights standards.

While many employers do offer workers protections — like child care benefits, flex time, work from home or split positions — allowing the government to decide which benefits should be offered would not align with business interests.

By not mandating benefits packages like many other countries, the United States has been able to avoid the extreme unemployment rates that some countries have experienced.

Read More: