By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY— A data analysis by wallethub.com found that Alabama is not such a good place for working moms and dads.
A new study identifying 2015’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms, found Alabama near the bottom in every metric.
This is also true in of the 2015’s Best & Worst States for working dads.
The Working Mom findings are based on an analysis of data obtained from:
The data used to create these rankings were obtained from the US Census Bureau, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Partnership for Women & Families, the American Urological Association, the Social Science Research Council, Child Care Aware and WalletHub research.
Life for working moms in Alabama ranks number 48. This ranking was based on three-key-dimensions, namely “Child Care,” “Professional Opportunities” and “Work-Life Balance.”
In every metric, working moms lack many of the advantages enjoyed in most every other state.
According to wallethub.com, “Progress, it would seem, is taking shape at different rates across the country. Not only do parental leave policies and other legal support systems vary by state, but the quality of infrastructure – from cost-effective day care to public schools – is also far from uniform as well.”
The researchers looked at Child Care, its quality and cost, pediatric services, and school systems. In this category, Alabama ranked at the bottom coming in at 46.
In, Professional Opportunities, the gender pay-gap (women earning only a percentage of what men earn), Ratio of Female to Male Executives, Median Women’s Salary, Percentage of Families (Single Moms with Children younger than 18) in Poverty: and Female Unemployment Rate, were analyzed. In this category, Alabama ranked 38.
When it came to Work-Life Balance, which comprised Parental Leave Policy, Length of the Average Woman’s Workday, and Women’s Average Commute, the State ranked 42.
The study considered, “a working mother’s life – from the home front to the workplace and everywhere in between.” It found that Alabama’s moms have it worse than most of their counterparts in other states.
The same holds true for our State’s “working dad’s life,” ranking 44 overall.
To identify the best and worst states for working dads, WalletHub examined four key factors, including: Economic & Social Well-Being, Health, Work/Life Balance and Child Care.
Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the US Census Bureau, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Partnership for Women & Families, the American Urological Association, the Social Science Research Council, Child Care Aware and WalletHub research.
In the category of Economic & Social Well-Being, the Median Income for Families (Dad present) with kids younger than 18 Years, Unemployment Rate for Dads with kids younger than 18 years, percentage of Dads with kids younger than 18 Years living in poverty, Full Weight Share of Male-owned businesses, and the High School dropout rate for Men were considered. In this area, Alabama working dads ranked in the top 20, coming in at 15.
In Health, Male Uninsured Rate, Life Expectancy at Birth and disease data was valued. In this area, State dads ranked near the bottom at 48.
When evaluating Work/Life Balance, the study focused on parental leave policy, average hours worked per day among males, and average commute time. Here, Alabama working dads came in at 45.
In the last category, Child Care, Day Care Quality, Child Care Costs (Adjusted for the Median Income for Families (Dad Present), Access to Pediatric Services, and best school systems, were weighted, which resulted in a ranking of 48.
