DC ranks among best places for working mothers
If you’re a working mom looking for a good place to land a job, look no further than the District of Columbia.
A new study conducted by Wallet Hub, found that D.C. was the third-best place for working mothers in the nation, only falling behind Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The District ranked the highest for child care.
WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe said the study is especially important for working moms as they continue to navigate lower hourly wages and less representation in the executive suites of S&P 500 companies.
“Working moms have to carefully balance career opportunities with factors that provide a good environment for their children when deciding where to live,” Happe said in a statement.
“The best states provide equitable pay for women and the potential for career advancement, along with robust parental leave policies and high-quality child care, health care and schools. This gives working moms both the financial ability and the peace of mind to not have to choose between a career and family.”
The study noted that D.C. was among the places with, “some of the lowest gender-representation gaps in the country” in manufacturing and health care.
“In addition, D.C. has a very high ratio of female to male executives and senior-level managers and it has the fifth-highest median annual earnings for women,” the report said.
D.C. also gained high marks for health care and child care — WalletHub gave it the No. 1 spot, citing access to pediatricians and nationally accredited child care centers.
Also working in The District’s favor: highly rated policies for mothers and families.
“D.C. has very good parental-leave policies and is among the best places in the country for working from home,” the report concluded.
But what about Maryland and Virginia?
Maryland took the No. 19 spot overall and is ranked fourth for access to professional opportunities. The state had the fifth worst work-life balance.
Virginia was ranked 23rd overall and ranked 11th for access to child care and had the 10th worst work-life balance.
Read the full study from WalletHub for more information.