Final answer:
The statement that the United States is the only industrialized country without a family allowance program is false. The U.S. offers various forms of financial support to families despite lacking a universal family allowance or mandated paid parental leave as found in other countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the United States is the only industrialized country without a family allowance program is false. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is unique among 41 countries in its lack of mandated paid leave for new parents. However, the concept of a family allowance, which generally refers to financial support to families to help with the cost of raising children, is different from parental leave policies. While the U.S. does not have a universal family allowance, it does provide other forms of financial support to families, such as tax credits and unemployment benefits, although these may not fully support a family as mentioned in Figure 16.8.
Furthermore, American labor standards and employee protections are different from those of many other industrialized countries. For instance, the duration of paid vacation time in the U.S. is often significantly less than the six weeks or more that workers in many European countries receive. This indicates a broader discussion on what acceptable and enforceable minimum labor standards should be worldwide.