Federal employment policies attempt to address occupation segregation and inequalities between race and gender. This research looks specifically at federal policies as a macro-level factor affecting inequalities in women's labor force experiences. Research has shown that variations of family structures create different experiences in the labor market for white women and women of color. These differences are in terms of wages, participation rates, and type of work. Given these different labor force experiences, this research investigates the extent to which, The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 accounts for women's varying experiences. Existing secondary data that demonstrate the existing realities of women's experiences in the workforce was compared with results from a content analysis of the federal policy. Results suggest that the Family and Medical Leave Act reinforces gender roles by focusing on a nuclear family structure.