Following calls for free community college tuition and more broadband competition, President Barack Obama took another swing this week leading up to his State of the Union address. The White House announced support for the "Healthy Families Act," which would move the U.S. into the same league as other developed countries with a guarantee of paid sick leave for workers. Again, Obama showed his willingness to use executive actions to achieve policy objectives, granting at least six weeks of family leave to federal workers.

The absence of paid leave from the American workforce means more workers come to work sick and infect others. It also hurts mothers' ability to breastfeed their babies — at least six months of breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization. Like all policy decisions, paid leave laws will require weighing pros and cons. Republicans worry about the economic impacts and the increased regulation from approving such a law, meaning it will likely have a difficult time passing the GOP-controlled Congress.

As this map from the World Policy Forum shows, the U.S.'s lack of paid leave policies is the exception, rather than the rule.

