In this article, Maureen Perry-Jenkins, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and past director of the Center for the Family at UMass, discusses findings from a federally funded five-year, longitudinal study that examined the transition to parenthood and transition back to paid employment for working-class couples. The following challenges faced by working class new parents are identified: maternity leave, mandatory overtime, health insurance, and child care. The need for a paid family leave policy at the federal or State levels and legislation addressing mandatory overtime are stressed.