dads and – A first-of-its-kind National Parent Survey finds a striking split: 64% of dads with children under 6 want full-time schedules, while only 30% of moms do. The same survey of nearly 5,500 parents also shows most families want more quality time, but money—and ins
By the time many new parents settle into life with a child under 6, they’re already navigating work calendars that don’t match their own needs. The frustration shows up clearly in a new survey that asks mothers and fathers what they want from work, leave, and childcare—and what’s getting in the way.
The findings come from a first-of-its-kind National Parent Survey published Wednesday by the New Practice Lab at New America. a Washington. D.C.-based think tank. The study drew on nearly 5,500 parents of young children under age 6 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Parents were asked about their work schedules, child care arrangements, leave use, and hopes for the future. The survey also includes nearly 3,000 parents from lower-income households.
Across the results, one theme runs through nearly every question: parents want more quality time with their kids than they currently have, and money—whether because it’s lacking or because it’s necessary to make ends meet—stands between families and the time they say they need.
A majority of parents say they want to work, but not the same amount. Among parents with one or more jobs, 76% say their current work arrangements do not fully match what they want. The gap is especially sharp by parent gender. A full 64% of dads say they would prefer a full-time schedule, compared with only 30% of moms.
The survey also puts “time” at the center of daily life. Seventy-two percent of parents—men and women. regardless of income or ethnicity—reported wanting more quality time with their kids. including more time for play outdoors. But most parents take minimal parental leave after having a child, and many say it doesn’t go far enough.
Men and women differed in how much leave they took. The median parental leave for moms was 10 weeks, while dads took only two weeks. Looking at both parents together, most parents (59%) took six weeks or less of leave. Among those employed when their youngest child was born, 15% took no leave at all.
Even for those who did take leave, satisfaction wasn’t the norm. Some 52% of men and 59% of women said the leave they took wasn’t enough. Overall, the study’s numbers capture a reality many families recognize: wanting to be more present doesn’t automatically translate into having the time to do it.
As Tara Dawson McGuinness. executive director of the New Practice Lab. put it in a news release. “Parents with young children want time. They want flexibility. They want wages that keep up and to be genuinely present—for bedtimes and mealtimes. for unplanned afternoons. for the kind of play that doesn’t fit on a calendar.” She added: “Too many parents are forced to choose between showing up for their kids and making enough to provide for them. There is a gap between what families actually say they need and the public policies we are offering to support them in raising their kids.”.
Money is not a side issue in the survey. According to the study, 52% of parents said the need for higher wages was the key factor preventing them from spending time with their families the way they want.
The survey points beyond income alone. It found parents also cited the need for generous paid family and medical leave benefits and access to affordable child care of their choice. The study says access to one-size-fits-all child care isn’t enough—that parents need options that match their family’s unique circumstances and their children’s singular needs.
The sequence of results—parents saying they want work. but also saying their schedules don’t fit; parents wanting more quality time. but taking limited leave; and parents identifying wages and benefits as the blocker—spells out a consistent tension. For families with young children, the challenge isn’t desire. It’s alignment between work, care, and the time parents say they need.
National Parent Survey New America New Practice Lab parents dads moms parental leave childcare wages work schedules work-life balance United States