Obama encouraging family-friendly work policies

But the U.S. government doesn't always set the best example.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't mandate paid leave for mothers of newborns. But Obama says he'd like to see that change.

It's unclear how Obama would fund a national system. Obama has not endorsed legislation that would create one paid by a payroll tax. And he pledged in his 2008 presidential campaign not to raise taxes on families making under $250,000 a year.

While some companies offer paid family leave to attract workers, the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act only requires that employers provide unpaid leave for medical and family reasons.