10 best places for working mothers

By SmartMoney

Whether they want to work or have to, the daily juggle of challenges in the office and at home is a reality for most mothers in this country. Nearly two-thirds of women in families with children under the age of 18 are employed, as are 73% of single moms, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.

And while juggling careers and family is never easy, certain states make it a lot easier on mothers than others do: They're home to better jobs, have more affordable and higher-quality child care and offer residents family leave -- even if employers don't.

Of course, each state has its tradeoffs. Hawaii offers paid family leave and a low unemployment rate, for example, but paid maternity leave in the state is expensive and difficult to get. And while Massachusetts moms enjoy well-paid professional jobs, they also pay the highest prices for child care in the country.

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To figure out which states are the most mom-friendly, we pored over research reports and statistics, such as wage-gap and unemployment data, and spoke with experts. We looked at child care rankings from the nonprofit National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, or NACCRRA, and data from the Institute for Women's Policy Research on where the highest percentage of women hold professional or managerial positions.

Tax information provider CCH helped us find the states that offer the best credits for child-care expenses and other child-related tax breaks. Finally, we spoke with the Families and Work Institute, which compiles annual rankings of companies for workplace flexibility -- a key factor for moms stuck in less-than-ideal child-care situations.

Here are 10 that stood out:

California

Pros: Thanks to state law, workers in the Golden State get up to six weeks of paid leave to care for their child or bond with a newborn, among other things. That's no small perk. Only one other state (New Jersey) offers this type of leave. Federal law doesn't provide for it, and only 8% of workers qualify for it through their employer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.California is also among the states with the narrowest wage gaps: Women's earnings are 83.8% of men's, compared with 77.5% nationwide. Generous tax credits offset the high cost of day care for employees, while employer credits encourage companies to provide day-care programs to employees.

Cons: Parents have to do their own research when selecting child care, as the state requires that centers are inspected only once every five years. NACCRRA recommends at least four inspections a year.

District of Columbia

Pros: Home to a wealth of government jobs, the District of Columbia boasts the highest percentage of women -- 52.5% -- in managerial or professional occupations. It also has a barely noticeable wage gap, with women earning 93.4% as much as men.

Women can get paid maternity leave through the city's temporary disability insurance, as well as paid sick days. (Washington, D.C., is one of just two cities in the country -- along with San Francisco -- to offer that perk, says Julie Weber, a policy outreach specialist at the Sloan Work & Family Research Network at Boston College.) Child-care regulations and oversight are also among the strictest in the country, says Linda Smith, the executive director of NACCRRA.

Cons: Child care can be pricey, averaging $13,967 per year, or 12% of the median income of families with children under 18.

Florida

Pros: In addition to basking in nearly year-round sunshine, Florida moms enjoy top-rated, affordable and readily available child care, with more spaces available at homes and centers than children who potentially need them. Florida is one of just five states that require monitoring visits at child-care centers at least four times a year and the posting of inspection and complaint reports online.

And even though less than a third of women in Florida have professional or managerial jobs, their pay is 79.9% of that of men, still above the nationwide average of 77.5%.

Cons: A low percentage of women in managerial or professional occupations.

Hawaii

Pros: Moms in the Aloha State can get paid maternity leave through its state-mandated temporary disability insurance, and Hawaii has proposed legislation allowing paid time off to care for a seriously ill spouse, child or family member.

The unemployment rate for women in the state is also among the lowest in the country, at 3.6%.

Cons: Finding child care is difficult. "Anyone moving there is going to run into a serious problem finding child care in Hawaii," says NACCRRA's Smith. "The younger your child, the more difficult it's going to be." At an average of $11,496 a year, or 14% of income, it's pretty pricey, too.

Continued:  Free child care? OK!

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