10 best places for working mothers

Massachusetts

Pros: Finding child care is not a big problem for moms in Massachusetts -- statewide, there are more spaces in day-care centers, schools and child-care homes than children who need them. But it comes at a premium. At an average of $15,895 a year, child care in Massachusetts is the priciest in the country.

Women's earnings, however, also tend to be above average, says Ariane Hegewisch, the study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. And nearly 40% of women are in managerial or professional jobs.

Cons: The most expensive child care in the country.

New Jersey

Pros: Like California, the Garden State mandates paid family leave for up to six weeks per year. New Jersey moms have good jobs, too: The state ranks fifth in terms of women with professional or managerial occupations.

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The best perk: Regardless of income, 31 counties give families access to free preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children in "Abbott Schools," says NACCRRA's Smith. Public schools in these Abbott districts get state aid in order to provide them with the same per-student operating budget as that of the state's wealthiest school districts.

Cons: Parents should be extra careful if they enroll their child in home-based child care, because the state does not license such establishments.

New York

Pros: Empire State moms have some big benefits, including paid maternity leave via the state's temporary disability insurance. New York has proposed legislation for paid family leave similar to what's available in California and New Jersey.

It's also one of the top states in terms of wage equality -- women earn 82.3% as much as men. And child care is tightly regulated.

Cons: At an average of $13,630 a year, child care is among the priciest in the country.

Oklahoma

Pros: What's not to love about free child care? In Oklahoma, 3- and 4-year-old children get universal access to free pre-K programs. Combine that with tight inspection and oversight of child-care centers and family home centers, and Oklahoma is No. 1 in terms of child care, says NACCRRA's Smith.

You get that at a relatively low price, too, just 11% of median family income. The number of women seeking employment in Oklahoma is also among the lowest in the country: The unemployment rate is just 3.5%, compared with a national average of 5.4%.

Cons: Just one-third of women in Oklahoma have managerial or professional jobs.

Rhode Island

Pros: The nation's smallest state has some of the biggest family perks, including paid maternity leave via its state temporary disability insurance. Plus, all child-care centers are inspected at least three times a year and all staff members undergo background checks of state and federal criminal history records, as well as child abuse and neglect registries.

Cons: The unemployment rate for women (6.7%) is high (but so is unemployment for Rhode Island men, at 9.1%).

Washington

Pros: Well-regulated child-care institutions and workplace flexibility rank Washington state near the top for working mothers. Three of the 10 companies distinguished by the Families and Work Institute last year for their workplace flexibility are based in Seattle, including insurance provider NRG, which gives its employees a four-week paid sabbatical every five years.

In 2007, the state passed paid family leave legislation, but its implementation has been postponed because of financing problems, according to Hegewisch.

Cons: At an average $10,140 a year, or 13% of family income, child care can be expensive.

This article was reported by Aleksandra Todorova for SmartMoney.

Published May 8, 2009

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