Andrew Yang on Families & Children Democratic Presidential Challenger & Tech CEO

Disentangle economic value and human value

More therapists in schools; kids very anxious these days

We have to stop pretending that there's normal and then there are people in this category of special needs and autistic because it's the new normal. If you intervene with the right resources at the right stage of development of many of these children, you can actually make a world of difference. And this is the kind of thing where this investment can yield dividends for decades. We should making those investments in our kids right now.

Money and men are tied together: we are a misogynist society

Yang: Our country is deeply misogynist and most all of us know that. Money and men are tied together. The fact is, strong societies would elect more female leaders. Strong men treat women well for the same reasons. I'm on the record saying that you need both strong men and female leaders in government because the fact is if you get too many men alone and leave us alone for a while, we kind of become morons. The fact is we operate in a fundamentally anti-woman marketplace, and that includes the marketplace for politicians. [With] democracy dollars, many, many more women who would run for office because they don't have to go shake the money tree.

New normal is families with special needs or autism

Yang: I have a son with special needs, and to me, special needs is the new normal in this country. The fact is right now we have to do more. Special needs children are going to become special needs adults in many cases. And here's the challenge. We go to employers and say, "Hey, this special needs person can be a contributor in your Workplace," [but even if not], we have to stop confusing economic value in human value. We have to be able to say to our kids that you have intrinsic value because you are an American and you are a human being. A freedom dividend of $1,000 a month, in everyone's hands, is going to help families and take this burden off of the communities and off of the schools who do not have the resources to support kids like my son and make it a federal priority, not a local one.

Only U.S. and Papua New Guinea don't have paid family leave

YANG: There are only two countries in the world that don't have paid family leave for new moms, the U.S. and Papua New Guinea. That is the entire list. We need to get off this list as soon as possible. I would pass paid family leave as one of the first things we do. I have two kids myself who are 4 and 7, one of whom is autistic and has special needs, and it's breaking families' backs. We need to start supporting our kids and families from the beginning, because by the time they're showing up to pre-K and kindergarten, in many cases, they're already years behind. So we need to have a freedom dividend in place from day one, $1,000 a month for every American adult. We should not be pushing everyone to leave the home and go to the workforce. In many cases, it would be better if the parent stays home with the child.

Our kids are not alright; their future is darker than our

We are going through the greatest economic transformation in our country's history, and it is pushing more and more of our people to the side. We talk as if Donald Trump is the cause of all of our problems. He is not. He is a symptom. And we need to cure the disease.

I'm running for president because, like many of you here in this room tonight, I'm a parent and a patriot and I have seen the future that we're leaving for our kids, and it is not something I'm willing to accept.

If you want to join us in rewriting the rules of the 21st century economy, go to yang2020.com and make it so that we can look our kids in the eyes and say to them, and believe it: Your country loves you, your country values you, and you will be all right.

Enable families to solve problems with income subsidies

6 to 9 months paid parental leave

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang calls for at least nine months of paid parental leave per couple and at least six months for a single parent. While he doesn't explicitly propose paid sick leave, his platform includes a mandatory vacation policy to allow workers to take time away from their jobs.

Boys raised in one-parent households suffer more than girls

Single mothers outnumber fathers more than four to one. Boys raised in single-parent households seem to suffer more than girls. A study showed that growing up with stably married parents makes one more likely to succeed at school, but that an absent father had a bigger impact on boys.

Data bears this out--outcomes for children raised in single parent households are significantly more adverse in every dimension: education, income, rate of marriage, rate of divorce, health, and so on, even controlling for income of the parent.

Raising children has been hardest experience of our lives

Boys raised in one-parent households suffer more than girls

Single mothers outnumber fathers more than four to one. Boys raised in single-parent households seem to suffer more than girls. A study showed that growing up with stably married parents makes one more likely to succeed at school, but that an absent father had a bigger impact on boys.

Data bears this out--outcomes for children raised in single parent households are significantly more adverse in every dimension: education, income, rate of marriage, rate of divorce, health, and so on, even controlling for income of the parent.

Having children tests 2 parents; single parents even harder

I understand: having and raising children has been the hardest experience of our lives for both my wife and me. I was cocky going into it; I thought to myself, "People have had children since the dawn of time. How hard can it be?" Now, I try to caution new parents that whatever they go through it's perfectly normal and to expect to have their lives changed and their spirits having stretched. Having children has tested my wife and me as individuals and as a marriage. Both of us agree that we have no idea how any single mom or dad can make it happen unless they have incredibly supportive family members around.

Who you love and how you love are up to you

Problems to be solved:
• Too many Americans who identify as LGBTQ are discriminated against based on who they are.

As President, I will...
• Promote any legislation extending protected status to individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity
• Increase funding for programs directed at educating the public on LGBT+ issues
• Increase funding for programs meant to help LGBTQ individuals who are facing discrimination because of their identity
• Appoint LGBT individuals to senior posts in my administration

Include family counseling in federal healthcare plans

As President, I will...
• Include family counseling in any healthcare plan offered through the federal government
• Mandate the inclusion of family counseling services in any plan sold through the ACA marketplaces
• Subsidize marriage counseling provided by any credentialed provider through the tax code

All other advanced countries have paid family leave policy

Problems to be solved:
• America's lack of a paid family leave policy results in negative impacts on health, women's employment rate, and family cohesion
• A lack of a paid family leave policy forces many single parents--especially mothers--into poverty

As President, I will...
• Propose and fight for a paid family leave policy, requiring employers to offer at least 9 months of paid family leave, distributed between parents however they see fit;
• or 6 months of paid leave for a single parent

Increase funding for LGBTQ issues and education

"Who you love and how you love are up to you," his websites reads. "The law should recognize and protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans individuals. I've always been pro-gay marriage; why should straight people have all of the fun? People are people and all love is beautiful."