For Father's Day 2019, Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US) has released new polling of working dads across the U.S.

New polling data clearly show that dads across the U.S. want and need better paid family leave. There is a major disconnect between what dads want and need, and what major employers provide.

Key results from the poll include:

  • 84% of expecting fathers plan to take leave, but only half believe their employer supports them — and nearly a third of dads think that taking leave could negatively impact their career.

  • The demand for paternity leave is growing. When comparing fathers who are currently expecting babies to those who became fathers within the last 5 years, soon-to-be-dads reported that they are more likely to take leave as well as planning to take longer leaves (and 1 in 5 soon-to-be dads plans to take two months of paternity leave or more).

  • Fathers at all income levels are more likely to be interested in working for a company that offers paid leave. 2 out of 3 fathers surveyed said paid leave benefits would increase their interest in working for a company (67%).

  • 82% of dads surveyed want to equally share in the responsibility of parenting.

Thank you to the Women Effect Fund for their support of this work.