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Moms First, a national nonprofit organization fighting for America’s moms and families, and McKinsey, a global management consulting firm, released first-of-its-kind research into state paid parental leave programs. The research reveals a surprising paradox: families are almost twice as likely to be satisfied with state paid leave compared to other state benefits, but are less likely to use it than other comparable benefits due to low awareness.

What’s behind this paradox? And what can employers, policymakers, and advocates do to ensure more families can access these benefits? Download the full report to learn more.

Key Findings

Key findings from the first-of-its-kind research into state paid parental leave programs

Parents love
paid leave

Families are almost twice as likely to be satisfied with state paid leave compared to other state benefits

But many are 

not using it

Across the states analyzed, only two out of five eligible parents used any state paid parental leave in 2022

Leaving real money 

on the table

Unused leave amounts to $6,000-10,000 per parent that did not take it, more than double the value of the 2021 pandemic-era child tax credit that cut child poverty in half

Why Is Utilization Low?

1

Low Awareness

60% of parents who did not take state paid leave were unaware that it was an option for them.
2

Application Complexity ​

Satisfaction was lowest when learning about paid family leave, determining eligibility, and submitting applications.
3

Societal Beliefs

Men are 25% more likely to be eligible for parental leave—but 25% less likely to use it. The most prevalent belief among men is they don’t need to take leave if their partners are taking it.
VIEW THE REPORT

Paid Parental Leave Opportunities for Action

Recommendations for stakeholders to improve utilization & experience
Public Engagement

Directly engage the public and provide learning materials to supplement state and employer resources, as well as engage fathers to increase understanding of the benefits of both parents taking leave.

Technology

Tools such as Paidleave.AI can provide 24/7, one-on-one personalized support to help parents understand eligibility requirements and the benefits that are available, as well as navigate applications in their preferred language.

Employers

Employers are the primary source of information for parents about state paid parental leave programs and play a critical role in helping their employees learn about paid parental leave and guiding them through the application process.

State Governments

States that require parents to apply for paid leave can improve  how users learn about and navigate paid family leave applications. Some states are now applying user experience best practices from the private sector to their services, including hiring chief experience officers.

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