PFL law requires only a percentage (67 percent) of an employee’s average weekly wages be replaced while they are on leave. 20 Twenty-four percent of parents said that their employer asked them to return to work sooner than 12 weeks or that their employer or coworkers did not endorse an extended leave. “You only get paid a portion of pay 60% and I would not be able to support myself on that.” Mom of a two-year-old living in the Bronx Overall, across all leave types, whether paid or unpaid, two-thirds (66 percent) of NYC parents with young children took 12 weeks of leave or less after their youngest was born (Figure 7). However, differences emerge along demographic lines on leave duration as well. Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) dads took 12 weeks or less, while half (49 percent) of moms did and half of moms took longer leaves. Additionally, parents with income below 200 percent of FPL were more likely to take shorter leaves, with 19 percent taking two weeks or less compared to 11 percent of parents with income above 200 percent of FPL.
Figure 7: Leave Taken How Much Parental Leave Parents Took for Their Youngest Child Figure 7 30%
24%
25%
20%
116%
15%
113%
113%
9%
10%
8%
88%
7%
5%
0%
Less than 2 weeks
1 month 2 months 3 months 4 months 5 months 6 months 7 months or more
Notes: Source: Robin Hood Source: Survey of 4,306 parents and caregivers of children ages 0-5 living in New York City; conducted by NORC for New America’s New Practice Lab and Robin Hood, March 31-April 20, 2026. Note: Based on responses from 3,246 parents who took time off of work when their youngest child was born. “Less than 2 weeks” re- flects parents who selected “Less than a week” or “1-2 weeks.” “7 months or more” reflects parents who selected one of “7 months (25- 28 weeks),” “8 months (29-32 weeks),” “9 months (33-36 weeks),” “10 months (37-40 weeks),” “11 months (41-44 weeks),” “12 months (45-52 weeks),” or “Over 12 months.”
20 No state PFML program offers 100 percent wage replacement to all eligible workers. However, many state PFML programs provide higher wage replacement to lower-wage workers. In NY State, eligible workers receive 67 percent of their average weekly wage, up to 67 percent of the State Average Weekly Wage ($1,228.53 per week in 2026). New York’s flat rate is among the lowest of state paid leave programs, and it is the only state with a separate wage replacement rate for medical leave (known as Temporary Disability Insurance), which has been capped at $170 per week since 1989. https://www.newamerica.org/insights/explainer-paid-leave-benefits-and-funding-in-the-united-states/
THE 2026 NEW YORK CITY PARENT SURVEY : WHAT CHILD CARE PARENTS WANT 21
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