Motherly?

Motherly's 7th Annual State of Motherhood Report launched today. The annual survey, with nearly 6,000 respondents, conveyed that today’s mothers continue to parent without adequate support. Key findings from this year include: Gen Z moms are signaling a continuing future birth rate decline: Today’s moms under 30 are 2 times as likely to NOT plan for more children than moms of the same age in 2019, citing financial, childcare, global, environmental and medical concerns (69% in 2024 vs. 35% in 2019). Childcare access and affordability issues continue to impact mothers’ ability to work: 66% of moms note that the stress and cost of childcare has made them consider leaving the workforce, up 14% from 2023. These sentiments are highest among Gen Z at 82%. One quarter of all moms report receiving regular financial support from their parents: Gen Z moms are twice as likely to have help from their parents compared to their own mothers' generations (Gen X+). In this election year, more than 85% of moms over 30 support federally mandated paid leave, regulation to address climate change, federally protected reproductive rights and increased gun control policies. Surprisingly, moms under 30 are 3x LESS likely to support the same policies, possibly signaling apathy. https://lnkd.in/dQd7maFM

Massachusetts just did something big for women’s health.?? The Healey-Driscoll administration announced that 500,000 citizens who use state health care can now get free birth control and prenatal vitamins. No copays, no surprise bills, just direct access to essential reproductive healthcare. Governor Maura Healey summed it up:?“With these orders, we are making it easier and more affordable for people to make the best health care decisions for themselves, will improve health outcomes for women and babies, and will reduce health disparities.” This policy is a major win for women and families, expanding equity in healthcare and ensuring that people have real choices over their reproductive health. ?? We've rounded up 5 reasons why this policy is such a big deal here: https://lnkd.in/dpGdUg83 Now the question is: What state will be next? ??

“I rise today with my newborn, Sam, who’s just four weeks old. Unfortunately, I wasn’t given the opportunity to vote remotely after giving birth, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from being here to represent my constituents,” Rep. Brittany Pettersen said on the House floor earlier this week. Just?four weeks postpartum, the Colorado congresswoman flew from Colorado to Washington, D.C., newborn in tow, to cast a critical vote against a budget proposal that would slash funding for health care and food assistance programs. For too many moms, her struggle is painfully familiar. ?? The expectation to return to work immediately after childbirth, to perform at the highest level while managing sleepless nights and round-the-clock newborn care, is the impossible reality American mothers face daily. Pettersen’s return to D.C. wasn’t just about a vote. It was a statement. A statement that mothers will not be sidelined. That moms, more than anyone, understand the real-life impact of policy decisions on families. That working parents deserve better. ?? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dcVDwegP

A viral study that’s making waves across social media?is reminding us that representation matters, especially at a time when many feel like we’re moving backward. The analysis, published in?Society for Research in Child Development, looked at five decades of children’s drawings and shows a remarkable transformation: ?? A staggering 99.4% of children in the 1960s and 70s couldn’t imagine a woman in a lab coat. Of 5,000?drawings, only 28 depicted female scientists. ?? We’ve made progress, but it’s not enough: By 2016, only about one-third of children’s drawings showed female scientists. ?? Our youngest girls start out believing in themselves: A powerful?70% of 6-year-old girls?draw scientists who look like them. ?? But something heartbreaking happens: By age 16,?only 25% of girls?still picture women in science. What's driving the change and why does this matter for our daughters? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dyiqD4Sh

Deloitte’s recent move to offer six months of fully paid leave to all new fathers in the UK feels like a major step forward—not just for dads, but for women in leadership, too. This new policy, which went into effect in January 2025, equalizes parental leave for all employees, giving fathers the same 26 weeks of fully paid leave that new mothers already receive. The reason? To help more women advance in leadership. ?? A policy like this isn’t just about fairness for fathers—it directly benefits working mothers. When men are expected to work at full capacity after having a child, women inevitably absorb more of the caregiving responsibilities. Read what needs to change next here: https://lnkd.in/dQjgBkMK

Are?working moms?fine today? And were they ever fine before? These are questions Paige Connell had been reflecting on when she shared a post on LinkedIn in response to a man who dismissed concerns about returning to the office full-time. Now that post has garnered over 3.6 million impressions, 29,000 reactions, and 3,300 comments.??? Return-to-office mandates are forcing working moms back into outdated, unsustainable expectations—undoing decades of progress in workplace equity.

Two weeks postpartum, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu returned to City Hall—with her newborn daughter in tow. Over the last few days, she’s shown up to council meetings, press conferences, and official duties, baby in hand, because Boston doesn’t stop just because the mayor had a baby. (Though we’d argue that even mayors deserve?maternity leave.) Her return has reignited a familiar conversation about the impossible expectations placed on women in leadership. If we truly want a world where women can lead and mother without impossible trade-offs, we need more than admiration for Wu’s resilience—we need structural change. Paid leave. Supportive workplace policies. A culture that stops expecting women to be everything at once, while demanding nothing of men in power. Boston keeps moving, and so does its mayor. But maybe the real question is: Should she have to? ?? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dhBVjR6B

"To the mom in the darkness right now... If you’re reading this, feeling hollow, wondering if you’ll ever recognize yourself again—I see you. All those feelings swirling inside you? They’re real. They’re valid. The ones shame tries to silence, and the ones that wake you at 3 in the morning whispering and taunting you that you’re not cut out for motherhood—I know them too. So many of us do, even if we don’t talk about it." Read more from Alli K. about how she built her village after experiencing postpartum depression.??

ICYMI: Starting this month, workers in the state of New York receive up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave.??? ???? ???? And as co-founder of Motherly?, Liz Tenety, describes it: For too long, paid leave has been treated like an “expense” businesses can’t afford. But New York just flipped the script, recognizing that investing in moms isn’t just good for families—it’s good for businesses, communities, and future generations. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqDU2ZsP

A recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family confirms what moms have long known to be true: Moms handle the overwhelming majority of unpaid labor in the home, and this includes "thinking" tasks like planning out child care, medical and dental appointments, summers, birthday parties, and the list goes on. But it doesn't have to be this way. Check out our friend Eve Rodsky for helpful resources on how to more equitably split household labor. Read more about the study in Motherly?: https://lnkd.in/eGKdZu3H #Motherhood #UnpaidLabor #Families #Marriage