Recent research from the U.S. Census Bureau, based on information from the Current Population Survey, found that around 10 million U.S. mothers living with school-age children were not actively working in January 2021, a 1.4 million increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.
As working moms reenter the workforce, there are some places where they can balance work and family life better, according to WalletHub’s latest report, which ranks the best and worst states for working moms in 2022.
To compile the list, WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: child care, professional opportunities and work-life balance.
Seventeen metrics were used, including child-care costs, gender pay gap, and parental leave policy score, and metrics were weighted differently. The overall score was calculated using weighted averages for all metrics for each state.
Based on WalletHub’s report, these are the 10 best states for working moms:
- Massachusetts
Total score: 62.99
Child care ranking: 4
Work-life balance ranking: 1
- Connecticut
Total score: 62.95
Child care ranking: 5
Work-life balance ranking: 5
- Rhode Island
Total score: 61.99
Child care ranking: 7
Work-life balance ranking: 2
- Minnesota
Total Score: 59.79
Child care ranking: 1
Work-life balance ranking: 15
- Wisconsin
Total score: 57.57
Child care ranking: 6
Work-life balance ranking: 10
- District of Columbia
Total score: 57.35
Child care ranking: 11
Work-life balance ranking: 7
- Vermont
Total score: 55.40
Child care ranking: 9
Work-life balance ranking: 9
- New Jersey
Total score: 55.26
Child care ranking: 15
Work-life balance ranking: 8
- New York
Total score: 53.53
Child care ranking: 3
Work-life balance ranking: 13
- New Hampshire
Total score: 52.19
Child care ranking: 8
Work-life balance ranking: 34
WalletHub also identified the 10 worst states for working moms in its report: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Idaho, Nevada, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Georgia and California.
According to David Rothwell, an associate professor at Oregon State University and expert featured in the report, the top five indicators when evaluating the best states for working moms include “cost of daycare, daycare accessibility, state policy on paid family leave, state policy on sick leave and cost of housing.”
New York claimed the No. 1 spot for best day care systems while Connecticut won first place for lowest gender pay gap. The District of Columbia claimed a No. 1 spot for highest female executive to male executive ratio.
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cnbc.com