Points of departure: family leave policy and women's representation in management in U.S. workplaces.

This article examines the impact of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the only U.S. federal law mandating unpaid, job-protected family leave, on gender inequality in workplaces, specifically women's representation in managerial positions. Using panel data from approximately 800 U.S. private-sector establishments between 1990 and 1997, the study finds that women's representation in management increased by about 5% after the FMLA's passage, with the largest gains occurring in organizations that already provided paid maternity leave before the law. The increase was particularly pronounced for women of color—Black, Hispanic, and Asian women—in these more generous workplaces. The findings suggest that the interplay between public policy and pre-existing organizational leave policies ("points of departure") shapes the law's effectiveness, supporting the idea that legal mandates reinforce organizational norms and empower women's claims for career advancement.