A meaningful gap exists between the amount of leave that parents took when their youngest was born and the amount of leave they would like to have if money and job security were not a concern: 42 percent of parents want six months or more, yet only 16 percent of parents took six months or more leave (Figure 8). On average, parents want five to six months. This citywide average is driven, in part, by a large share (21 percent) of parents who would prefer 12 months of leave or more. While preferred lengths of leave vary by different demographic characteristics — moms, for example, most often want- ed six months of leave, while dads most often wanted only three — the majority desire for more time holds true for parents regardless of gender, income, race and ethnicity. Parents’ preferences for longer lengths of leave are consistent with parents’ desire to be their child’s primary caregiver during their first year and with the well-documented health and economic benefits of parental leave on both par- ents and their children. 21
Figure 8: Leave Wanted
How Much Parental Leave Parents Want Figure 8
15%
8%
2 weeks or less
1 month
10%
2 months
9%
3 months
13%
4 months
7%
5 months
4%
14%
6 months
7-11 months
6%
15%
12 months
More than 12 months
6%
I would prefer not to return to paid work
4%
15%
0%
5%
10%
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: Parents were asked to consider how many weeks of family leave they would like to have after the birth or adoption of a child, if money and their job security were not a concern.
Notes: Source: Robin Hood
21 https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/04/feature-parental-leave; https://pn3policy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PN3PIC_PaidFamilyMedicalLeave_ EvidenceReview_0925.pdf
THE 2026 NEW YORK CITY PARENT SURVEY : WHAT CHILD CARE PARENTS WANT 22
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