• Paid leave widely viewed as insufficient:
  Mothers across political backgrounds reported that the current paid leave landscape does not meet the needs of working families, with many describing unpaid leave under FMLA as financially destabilizing or impossible to use.
• Strong support for a national paid leave program:
  More than 80% of mothers held a favorable view of the bipartisan framework and agreed that the U.S. should guarantee paid leave coverage for caregiving and health needs without placing the full burden on businesses.
• Positive but qualified reception of the framework:
  Mothers generally viewed the bipartisan framework as an improvement over the current system, particularly given limited employer-provided leave, but noted it would not fully close existing gaps.
• Financial strain remains a key concern:
  One in five mothers reported needing more paid leave and struggling with financial pressures related to caregiving and time off work.
• Concerns about uneven access:
  Among mothers who viewed the framework unfavorably, the primary concern was that allowing states to opt out could limit access and reduce effectiveness.

In February 2024, Count on Mothers surveyed 722 mothers across 48 states and a broad range of political ideologies to understand their views on the House Bipartisan Paid Leave Working Group Legislative Framework. Mothers shared perspectives grounded in their firsthand experiences with unpaid and limited paid leave. Aggregated findings were shared with the House Bipartisan Working Group, policymakers, and the public to inform deliberations on paid leave policy. Overall, mothers across the political spectrum viewed the framework favorably and expressed broad support for establishing a national paid leave program.

Main Takeaways:
Across the political spectrum, Mothers feel like the current state of paid leave is insufficient to meet the needs of working families. Specifically, some Moms said it was “financially crippling” after taking unpaid leave afforded to them under FMLA, while other moms said they had to save their PTO/vacation days “for years” to use for parental leave. Additionally, some Moms even said that they were unable to take any unpaid leave and returned to the workplace soon after having a baby. Overall, Mothers believed that having a paid leave program would be beneficial to individual families and society as a whole.

Quantitative Questions
Over 80% of Mothers both had a favorable opinion of the proposed framework, AND ALSO believed that the U.S. should have a national program that guarantees coverage to all working people to care for a new child, a loved one, or themselves without putting the full costs on businesses.

Qualitative Questions
When provided an open field to share what their family needed:
‍Mothers were positive about the bipartisan framework for a paid leave bill, and those mothers believed it would be better than the current state, as “many private employers do not offer any kind of paid family leave” and felt it was a "great" start but would not sufficiently fill the gaps.
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1 in 5 mothers wrote they needed more paid leave and are struggling with financial needs.
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The main problem for mothers, who believed the framework was unfavorable to families, was that many states would opt-out.

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