The Ark-La-Tex Struggles to Support Working Mothers
According to this list, women in our area just aren't getting the support they need to pursue both a career and motherhood.
I don't have kids of my own yet, but I believe that when I do become a mother, I will continue to pursue my career. Not only do I have the best job in the world, but it's something that fuels my fire and I believe that it's important to keep that fire stoked throughout motherhood. Unfortunately, the place we live may have an effect on how well that goes over.
And the Ark-La-Tex is struggling.
With Mother's Day around the corner, WalletHub looked at the state of working mothers across the country, ranking each state from best to worst. To determine the ranks, they looked at contributing factors like day-care systems, child-care costs, gaps in pay, and number of executive positions held by women. Our region suffered in comparison to the rest of the country.
Here's how we fared:
40. Arkansas
42. Texas
50. Louisiana
Although Louisiana featured some of the lowest child-care costs (as a percentage of a woman's paycheck), the Bayou state features some of the worst day-care systems. Texas also had a shining light as they feature some of the best day-care systems, but struggled when it came to females in executive roles. It's a hard pill to swallow when you consider that over 70 percent of moms with young children are working.