The Best and Worst States for Working Moms

The Best and Worst States for Working Moms Women make up nearly half of todays U.S. workforce, and more than70 percentof them are mothers with children under the age of 18. But with Americas lack of mandatedpaid maternity leave, exorbitantchildcarecosts, and the generallyhigher valueplaced on mens work, we still have a long way to go until our countrys working mothers are truly enfranchised.Thats what analysts at WalletHub confirmed in their new study, 2017s Best and Worst States for Working Moms, published on Monday. Comparing data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 13 key metrics like childcare costs, gender pay gap rates, and the number of women in executive positions they determined which states actually prioritize the rights of working moms, and which ones definitely dont.Check out their findings belowSource WalletHubOverall, the seven BEST states for working moms, according to WalletHubs findings, areVermontMinnesotaNew JerseyDelawareConnecticutMassachuse ttsMaineThe seven WORST states for working moms areAlabamaLouisianaNevadaArizonaAlaskaMississippiIdahoWalletHub also ranked states according to the individual metrics used in the study. Looking at child care, for instance, the states with the best day-care systems are New York, Washington, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas the states with the poorest quality day care, on the other hand, are Idaho, Nebraska, California, Louisiana, and Alabama. However, the most affordable childcare can be found Mississippi, while the priciest is in New York (go figure).Also interesting is their breakdown of the state-by-stategender pay gap. Hawaii ranked as having the smallest pay gap, while Alaska was found to have the largest.You can check out the studys full findingshereand join the conversation about your states treatment of working moms on our discussion boardhere.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women. Share us with women you respect