Study: South Carolina is 5th-Toughest State for Working Moms

Moms across South Carolina will get a well-deserved break this weekend on Mother’s Day. But it appears SC working moms will go back to the job Monday facing uphill battles. According to a new study by WalletHub.com that examined 15 metrics, the Palmetto State ranks 47^th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in their study of 2018’s Best and Worst States for Working Moms.

The report begins by pointing out that women make up nearly half the U.S. workforce, and more than 70% of working women have children. However, women earned 82% of what men were paid in 2017, and lead as chief executives only 5.2% of S&P 500 companies.

South Carolina is No. 3 for lowest child-care costs relative to women’s median income. However, SC’s other rankings in the study are:

19^th – unemployment rate for women

32^nd – average length of women’s workday (in hours)

38^th – overall child care

39^th – gender pay gap (women’s earnings as % of men’s)

40^th – median women’s salary (adjusted for cost of living)

40^th – parental-leave policy score

40^th – pediatricians per capita

43^rd  – percentage of single-mom families in poverty

44^th – day-care quality

44^th – work-life balance

45^th – professional opportunities

49^th – ratio of female executives to male executives

South Carolina’s results edge Nevada, Alabama, Louisiana and Idaho. Vermont, Minnesota and Massachusetts, D.C. and Connecticut are the list’s top five locations.