How does your state stack up when it comes to supporting working moms and dads?
A new report out Wednesday from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research rates the 50 states on a Work & Family Composite Index, which factors in access to paid leave, support for dependent and elder care, cost and quality of child care, and the gender gap in labor force participation for parents of young kids.
The best grade in the report went to New York State, with California coming in at No. 2 and Washington, D.C. at No. 3.
On the flip side, Indiana got the IWPR’s worst grade, followed by Utah and Montana.
Here’s the full, sortable list of all the states, including grades, scores and rankings:
Before residents in the high-scoring states get too excited, it’s worth nothing that even New York, the highest-ranked state, only scored a “B” from the IWPR. The group points out that 40 states scored a zero on the Paid Leave Index, meaning workers have no statutory rights to paid family leave, paid medical leave, or paid sick days.
Support of working moms has become increasingly important as their ranks have grown. Now, nearly half of children in the U.S. have a breadwinning mother who either brings in the money entirely on her own or, if she’s married, contributes at least 40% of family earnings, according to the IWPR.
Paid leave and child care are particularly hot-button issues. Not surprising when you consider this stat from the Department of Labor: 62% of mothers who gave birth within the last 12 months are in the workforce.
The work and family report is part of the IWPR’s larger series, Status of Women in the States: 2015.
