10 Worst States for Working Mothers

1) Louisiana 1) Louisiana

Not only does Louisiana have one of the worst daycare system in the country, it also has the second-highest gender pay gap, behind Wyoming.

Flickr/Finchlake2000

2) South Carolina 2) South Carolina

The Palmetto State ranked 47^th in child care, 50^th in professional opportunities and 36^th in work/life balance.

Flickr/Phil Snyder

3) Mississippi 3) Mississippi

Mississippi has the highest percentage of single-mom families in poverty and one of the highest female unemployment rates in the country. One upside: It does have the second-lowest child care costs in the U.S. after Tennessee.

Flickr/Roger Smith

4) Alabama 4) Alabama

Alabama has some of the worst school and daycare systems in the country, and it also has a high percentage of single mom families living in poverty.

Wikimedia Commons

5) Nevada 5) Nevada

Nevada ranked third worst for child care and fourth worst for work/life balance. It also has the nation’s highest unemployment rate for women.

Wikimedia Commons

6) Arkansas 6) Arkansas

Arkansas’s child care and services fared particularly badly, while the state ranked 30^th for professional opportunities.

Flickr/Nicholas Henderson

7) Georgia 7) Georgia

Working mothers in Georgia have the worst work/life balance in the country. The state also has one of the lowest female-to-male executive ratios in the U.S.

Flickr/UGArdener

8) West Virginia 8- West Virginia

West Virginia has one of the highest gender pay gaps in America.

9) North Carolina 9) North Carolina

North Carolina’s mothers have some of the worst professional opportunities in the country.

10) Oklahoma 10) Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranked 46^th in professional opportunities and 40^th in work/life balance.

Flickr/Emerson_DVM