A Pew Research Center survey of 2,242 working parents reveals widespread struggle to balance job responsibilities with family needs, underscoring how benefits such as paid sick leave and affordable childcare could ease the tension. The findings show that about two-thirds of working mothers say they can’t give 100% at home, while just over half report they can’t give their all at work. Among fathers, about half can’t give 100% at home, and roughly a third say they can’t give their full effort at work. The study focuses on families where both parents work full time, shedding light on how work-life boundaries blur in daily life.
Amber Petersen, a legal assistant at a small Mason City law firm, describes the tug-of-war between family and career: a sick child may require her immediate departure, yet she receives no paid sick leave and remains paid only for hours worked. Her husband works in a factory, where leaving for family reasons could jeopardize future raises. The couple illustrates the broader pattern: even with two incomes, many families struggle to save or build an emergency fund as costs rise.
The share of families where both parents work full time rose from 31% in 1975 to 52% today, per Pew’s analysis of census data. Conversely, the share of families with a working father and a nonworking mother fell from 42% in 1975 to 23% in 2025. Pew notes that staying home is not a feasible option for many who would like to maintain financial stability.
The survey sought to identify the kinds of policies and structural supports that could help working parents better navigate work and family life. It found that the ability to leave work for caregiving without losing pay is a critical factor for many, especially among lower-income families and single mothers, with concerns about pay losses more pronounced in these groups. Paid sick leave and more affordable childcare are repeatedly cited as high-value solutions by respondents.
For Petersen, the ongoing challenge includes the costs of childcare and the limited benefits at her firm. Her four-year-old attends a center that costs about $180 per week, a significant expense given the firm’s inability to offer paid leave. She notes that free preschool is expanding in some locales but remains inconsistent nationwide. The fall of 2027 will bring kindergarten for her younger child, a development she hopes will ease future budgeting by reducing preschool costs.
Remote work is not a universal remedy, Pew finds. About three-quarters of responding parents cannot work remotely, and even among those who can, many still face overlapping demands between work tasks and parenting. For example, nearly 40% of parents who work from home most or all of the time report frequently managing parenting duties during work hours, and roughly one-third say they often handle work matters while with their children.
The report notes that the broader economic environment is a factor in stress levels, with high costs for health insurance, groceries, and gas affecting families’ ability to absorb shocks. While some people may perceive the economy as improving in certain metrics, the lived experience of these families remains fraught with trade-offs between earnings and caregiving responsibilities.
The survey’s authors emphasize that family and work policies are not merely social preferences but essential economic supports that could raise productivity and reduce turnover among workers who are balancing caregiving with job duties. The data point to a demand for policy changes rather than a company-by-company solution, suggesting that systemic supports would benefit both workers and employers by reducing disruption and enabling workers to participate more fully in both spheres.
Ultimately, the Pew report paints a portrait of millions of working parents who feel pulled in two directions, with many unable to fully commit to either home or workplace obligations at any given time. The findings call for renewed attention to the design of workplace policies, child care options, and paid family leave as essential components of the broader labor market and social safety net.
