Policies and child care costs strain Arkansas moms
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A new report suggests mothers are being priced out of the workforce in Arkansas, Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, told Axios.
Why it matters: This broad economic issue has implications for employee recruitment and retention plus the financial stability of families, she said.
- "Arkansas moms want to work and contribute to the state's economy," the report reads. "The question is whether Arkansas will make the strategic investments necessary to enable them to do so."
Driving the news: The Women's Foundation of Arkansas recently released a report, Holding It All Together: Working Moms and Childcare in Arkansas. It details how child care costs, job opportunities and workplace policies make it difficult for some mothers to justify working outside the home.
The big picture: The organization wants legislators, employers and other decision makers to use the research findings to make pro-family policies, Gorman said.
- The goal is to explore how the state can offer more paid family leave for all parents and make child care more affordable and accessible, such as through vouchers for child care or on-site facilities like at Walmart's headquarters.
Stunning stat: Child care costs are the most common obstacle to employment for Arkansas mothers, with 69% of those surveyed citing it. Costs were the top thing mothers across all demographics said they would like to change about their child care — not location, hours or quality.
- The foundation conducted an online survey of 825 women and included 111 in focus groups or interviews.
- Arkansas families with two young children pay approximately $17,500 annually for child care, nearly 29% of the $60,773 median household income.
Yes, but: Women with children are still more likely to work full-time than women without children, even among prime working ages of 25-54. About 58% of women of prime working age with children under 18 who live at home work full-time, compared to 48% of women of prime working age who either do not have children or whose children are grown.
Zoom in: The foundation found that women in rural areas with fewer job opportunities were more likely to be "cobbling" together part-time jobs that don't have as many benefits, Gorman said. Taking time off to take themselves or their children to the doctor is a hurdle.
What they're saying: "Focus group participants consistently described the exhausting cognitive and emotional labor of managing work, child care logistics, household responsibilities, and bureaucratic systems ... This mental load — combined with inadequate support systems — leads to burnout, health problems, and ultimately workforce exits," according to the report.
- Participants also expressed desires for more flexible working hours. A lack of paid family leave also meant choosing between financial stability or the health and well-being of themselves and their children.
The intrigue: One in five women who gave birth in Arkansas had to go back to work less than six weeks later.
- The United States has no federal law requiring paid maternity leave, meaning some new moms must go without pay or go back to work.
What's next: The foundation is presenting the report to groups to spread awareness about the issue, Gorman said.