Numbers say Arizona may not be the best place for working moms
May 4, 2016, 6:00 AM | Updated: 6:26 am
(KTAR File Photo)
A new study paints a rough picture for working moms in Arizona just ahead of Mother’s Day.
Jill Gonzalez with WalletHub said Arizona is the sixth-worst state in that category, thanks in large part to a lot of women being out of work.
“(There is a) 7.1 percent female unemployment rate right now. Just to give you some context, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota are looking at about 3 percent or under,” Gonzalez said.
Arizona is also ranked 46th out of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia as far as the best and worst states for working moms, according to the analysis.
Gonzalez said the high cost of child care was a big reason why Arizona is one of the five worst states for child care.
“We looked at full-time infant through 4-year-old family child care. Out of a woman’s salary, it takes up about 20 percent of it, which is very high,” Gonzalez said.
“Other states here only around 12 to 15 percent.”
Gonzalez said women in Arizona make a little more than $35,000 a year, which is below the national average.
She also said the women’s unemployment rate in Arizona was over 7 percent, which ranked the state 43.
KTAR’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.