There’s no shortage of challenges facing employers and the U.S. workforce. From economic concerns to the impact of AI, both workers and organizational leaders are navigating big changes. One trend deserves particular attention: working mothers are reevaluating their place in the workforce.
As reported by the Washington Post, the share of mothers aged 25 to 44 with young children who are in the workforce is on the decline, reaching its lowest level in more than three years. This shift has direct implications for recruiting, retention, and overall market competitiveness. But it also opens the door for leaders to make a meaningful difference for their employees.
Understanding the pressures working mothers face
Research by Harris Poll and KinderCare confirms this same reality: Working parents are balancing tremendous responsibilities at home and at work. As a working mother myself, I know firsthand how real these pressures feel. At the heart of the challenge is support—or too often, the lack of it.
Our 2025 Parent Confidence Index, a survey of 2,000 U.S. parents with children under age 12 conducted with the Harris Poll, found that working parents are especially impacted by back-to-office mandates. Nearly three-quarters of parents are now working in-office full-time or in hybrid roles, and 60% say this has impacted their child care needs. Many would still prefer remote arrangements: 40% said “all remote” is their ideal, and nearly half felt pressured to return to the office.
As employers continue to evolve their workplace policies, what working parents want from employers is clear. More than three-quarters believe employers should offset the cost of child care. Parents told us that they specifically want subsidized, on-demand, and on-site child care options, depending on their working scenario.
Yet there’s often a perception gap. While nearly half of all employees say they want child care benefits, only a third of chief HR officers (CHROs) believe their workforce needs them. And a striking 60% of employees say they’d rather have child care subsidies than a raise.
Child care isn’t just a “nice-to-have” when nearly three-quarters of parents say it would be impossible to do their job without reliable, high-quality care. Among those who already have benefits, 90% report that quality child care gives them peace of mind to perform well at work.
Employers can be a part of the solution
While many parents still say finding child care feels challenging, employers are uniquely positioned to be part of the solution.
Child care benefits don’t just support families—they strengthen business outcomes:
- Employee performance: Nearly 60% of parents say unreliable child care has hurt workplace performance.
- Retention: More than half would stay at a job because of child care benefits, and one-third or more would switch to get them.
- Reputation: More than 80% of employees believe how a company supports parents reflects how it cares for employees overall.
Employers who lead here will be seen as family-oriented, caring, empathetic, and forward-thinking.
A practical path forward
The good news is that solutions are accessible and effective. Child care programs are not difficult or cost-prohibitive to implement, and their return on investment is significant when compared with the high cost of turnover (currently estimated at 50% to 200% of the employee’s annual salary).
For example, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health partnered with KinderCare to assess how family care challenges affected their workforce. The survey revealed a clear ROI opportunity: Access to reliable child care would significantly reduce absenteeism, a critical issue in healthcare. The straightforward solution was to open an on-site child care center. KinderCare helped bring that vision to life, which continues to thrive, providing essential support to their working parents.
Talent isn’t disposable. It is the organization’s margin of difference. Ultimately, the message for C-suite and talent leaders is simple: listen. More than 80% of employees who are parents believe that how a company supports its working parents reflects how it cares for its employees overall. Employees are telling us what matters most—supporting the integration of home and work. By developing programs that speak directly to workforce realities, organizations strengthen retention, productivity, and competitive position.