A Necessity, Not a Benefit.  NYC's low-income moms discuss their struggles without paid family leave and job security.

Report | May. 2015

A Necessity, Not a Benefit. NYC's low-income moms discuss their struggles without paid family leave and job security.

Nancy Rankin, Margaret Mark

Summary: In New York City, 50,000 women are employed during their pregnancies each year and plan to return to work. Far too many are forced to rush back to their jobs when their infants are only a few weeks old because they cannot survive without a paycheck. That’s bad for the health of new moms, bad for their babies’ development, and bad for businesses that lose dedicated, experienced workers. CSS conducted three professionally-moderated focus groups to hear first-hand from NYC mother's the hardships faced after childbirth, and how the proposed paid family leave legislation could have made a difference. This report details these discussions and provides conclusions and recommendations on paid family leave in New York State.

Issues: Paid Family Leave

Download PDF