Dive Brief:
- A new research report found Vermont to be the friendliest state for working mothers.
- Vermont came out on top when women’s salaries, employment rates, parental leave policies, and the quality and affordability of child care and pediatricians were factored into the mix. Minnesota finished second to the Green Mountain State, while Louisiana was dead last.
- New York rated #1 for day care systems, with Idaho at the bottom. Tennessee had the lowest child care costs and Washington, D.C. the highest.
Dive Insight:
Wallet Hub conducted its annual research using 12 key metrics to identify the Best and Worst States for Working Moms. The firm also offers an interactive map of the U.S. to directly see how states rank.
Driven by the issue of gender inequality across the business world, Wallet Hub asked what can be done about this fundamental problem. According to an article on the Wallet Hub site, progress is happening at a different pace across the country.
For example, parental leave policies and other legal support systems vary by state, and the quality of infrastructure—from cost-effective day care to public schools—is also far from uniform.
As part of its research, Wallet Hub also gathered written comments from experts across the country about the results of the analysis. Much of the feedback about what employers can do centered on childcare. One expert, Nancy Hill, a professor at the Harvard School of Education, wrote that employers "can provide flexibility in the time and place that work gets done to help parents balance work and life ... The minimum is to provide the flexibility to care for children when they are sick.
"Larger companies can help employees by contracting with high-quality childcare organizations to help parents find affordable care for summer, afterschool and sick children," she wrote.
