Moms lose average of $9,500 on maternity leave, survey reveals

Despite the fact that many parents head back to work sooner than they'd like after having a baby, a new survey reveals that they can still suffer major financial consequences.

Researchers at pregnancy company What To Expect, surveyed more than 2,200 moms between June and July 2024.

They found that mothers surveyed reported missing out on $9,480 on average by taking parental leave, further intensifying the expense of having a baby.

According to the survey, this financial fallout forced nearly half (43%) of these families to cut back on non-essential purchases, and 37% had to dip into their savings.  

Tired mother lying in bed with her newborn baby

More than half of parents (51%) said they took some form of unpaid leave, pausing their paychecks to care for their newborns.

1 in 4 women took six weeks or less of maternity leave: survey

Women reported taking nearly 11 weeks of maternity leave on average, and one in 4 women (25%) took six weeks or less.

But according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, fully recovering from childbirth can take months. 

The study found that partners had even less time to bond with their babies, typically getting less than five weeks off. Nearly one-third of partners (29%) took just a few days or no time at all. 

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Most moms (74%) agreed this isn't enough time, but many felt they had no choice but to go back to work before they were ready. 

The U.S. is one of seven countries in the world without a national paid maternity leave policy.

Most moms we surveyed (86%) agreed that they would support a federal paid leave policy.