A recent study by personal finance website Wallethub has ranked Mississippi as the 6th Worst State in the Nation for Working Moms.
State Treasurer Lynn Fitch advocated for the closing of the gender pay gap in the last session–but all seven bills regarding the gap died.
“Certainly addressing the issue of women’s equality is essential moving forward,” said Fitch. “This is a non-partisan issue. This is all about doing the right thing…because women need to receive equal pay for equal work.”
Fitch also explained how working moms in the state have it tough.
“Women who are receiving degrees in our state, they’re leaving. They’re not staying in the state,” said Fitch. “We’ve got to be mindful of childcare. If you look at a number of studies… if you are the mother of a child, you are penalized 4% per child. For women, we get penalized because we’re looked at as not as dedicated, distracted, and needing more flexibility with our time. But a man is rewarded for his children.”
Here are some of the statistics from the study:
Life as a Working Mom in Mississippi (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
40th– Day-Care Quality
41st– Pediatricians per Capita
42nd – Gender Pay Gap (Women’s Earnings as % of Men’s)
33rd– Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives
30th – Median Women’s Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
49th – Female Unemployment Rate
40th– Parental-Leave Policy Score
44th– Avg. Length of Woman’s Workday (in Hours)
51st– % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty
For the full study, click here.
