WHITE PLAINS, New York, May 9, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — A majority of U.S. moms with young children agree that Mother’s Day should be about supporting moms, not just about gifts, according to the results of a new national survey from March of Dimes. The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among more than 1,000 moms of children ages 0-5, examined what moms really want, and not just on Mother’s Day, but every day. The results include access to fair, affordable health care, maternity leave policies and working parent benefits.

Flowers and chocolates are nice, but this year March of Dimes asked moms what they need. Some of the key findings include:

• Most moms (92 percent) agree that Mother’s Day should be about supporting moms, not just about gifts.
• 90 percent of moms agree that immediate improvement to maternity/parental leave policies is needed and 86 percent say current policies make life harder on new moms and babies.
• A majority of moms say access to affordable health care (68 percent) and paid maternity leave (66 percent) are among the most important needs for new moms.
• Across the board, a majority of moms (88 percent) wish that prenatal care was of higher importance to policy makers.
• Nearly 9 in 10 moms (87 percent) believe that maternal and child health care needs immediate improvement in the U.S. and black moms are most likely to strongly agree with this statement (70 percent black moms* vs. 49 percent white moms; 43 percent Asian moms*).
• Employed black moms are less likely to believe that their employers are understanding of family needs compared to employed white moms (69 percent* vs. 86 percent, respectively).

*small base size (n<100); results should be interpreted directionally 

March of Dimes and its partners are sparking a national conversation around support and empowerment for mom—for herself, from one mom to another and from loved ones to moms and moms-to-be.

“We need policies, not just flowers,” says John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll and Author of The Athena Doctrine: How Women (and the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future. “March of Dimes helps us recognize that we need to understand and support moms with paid maternity leave and by improving prenatal care. That 86 percent of mothers feel current policies make life harder on new moms is a call to action this Mother’s Day.”

“We support moms before, during and after her pregnancy, whether or not things go according to plan,” said Stacey D. Stewart, President of March of Dimes. “This Mother’s Day we are focusing on the would-be moms, those who’ve struggled to become moms, those spending Mother’s Day in the NICU and those who haven’t had an easy journey to motherhood.”

From advocacy to education to research, March of Dimes is working to level the playing field so that all moms and babies are healthy, not just on Mother’s Day, but every day.

This Mother’s Day, Kmart celebrates 35 years supporting March of Dimes in their fight for the health of all moms and babies.

You can access the full data set here.

About March of Dimes
March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Building on a successful 80-year legacy of impact and innovation, we stand up for every mom and every baby. Visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org for more information. Visit shareyourstory.org for comfort and support. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

About the Survey
The Mother’s Day Survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of March of Dimes from March 28 – April 9, 2018, among 1,031 moms ages 25-39 who have a child ages 0-5 who has not yet started grade school, including 705 white moms, 99 black moms and 70 Asian moms. Of the 705 white moms who are included in the survey, 348 are employed and of the 99 black moms, 67 are employed. Data are weighted where necessary by age, race/ethnicity, region, education, income, marital status, employment status, household size and propensity to be online to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

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SOURCE March of Dimes