Motherhood is full of physical, mental and
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According to the report, over half of low-income moms feel their current earnings fail to cover the basics for themselves and their families, while 16% of low-income moms work more than one job to make ends meet. Their top financial concerns include having enough money for emergency savings, bills, groceries, rent and things their children want.
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Of course, low-income moms have the same aspirations as middle and high-income families: Over half of low-income moms believe further education and professional development could better their career opportunities, and seven in 10 moms believe there is a better job out there for them in the market than their current role. Other income groups echoed these points, too, but low-income moms are less likely to have the resources to change their circumstances, underlines Ruth Veloria, chief strategy officer at the University of Phoenix.
"To boil it down, there are four key components missing in workplaces where we find our lower-income moms: Accessible child care, paid time off, the recognition of skills acquired through motherhood and opportunities to build one's skills," says Veloria. "If employers put those components together, they can set moms up for success."
Benefits that matter to moms
Child care in the U.S. is not only expensive — Care.com estimates that a majority of families spend around $18,000 a year on child care alone — but it can be notoriously difficult to find. The child care sector is still missing nearly 40,000 workers in the wake of the pandemic. On top of that, child care centers lost government funding provided by the American Rescue Plan of 2021 after it expired last year. An estimated 70,000 child care providers are likely to close as a result, according to The Century Foundation.
"There's a real difficulty in our area in particular, to find spots for children under two years old," says Meghan Hullinger, a single mom of four and nonprofit employee based in West Virginia. "Then even if parents can find child care within a reasonable distance from where they work or live, it's very expensive."
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Hullinger knows firsthand that between inflation rates and a crumbling child care infrastructure, parents' budgets are stretched very thin. Forty-six percent of low-income moms and 38% of middle to high-income moms spend more than 30% of their paycheck on child care, according to the M.O.M. report. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers daycares affordable if it costs 7% or less of a family's income.
Veloria advises employers to consider how they can help moms find and afford child care, from building a child care center within the workplace to offering stipends and trustworthy databases of providers. The key is to recognize the need within the bounds of the company's budget, says Veloria.
But not every benefit has to come with large upfront costs. Veloria and Hullinger agree that PTO and flexibility go hand in hand with child care benefits. According to the M.O.M. report, nearly half of all mothers, regardless of income, agree PTO would help them balance their work and parenting responsibilities. When a child is sick, a child care provider falls through or an accident happens at school, parents need to be there without losing pay or being looked down on by management, stresses Veloria.
"Employers should know that it costs a lot more to replace a worker already familiar with an organization than it does to offer some extra benefits," she says. "If a [mom] is in a situation where they don't have paid time off coverage, they may have to walk away from a job."
Just like any inclusive benefit, PTO and flexibility will especially help low-income families stay above water. Twenty-five percent of low-income moms reported to the University of Phoenix that they take unpaid time off to watch their children, while around 15% of middle to high-income moms reported the same. Veloria reminds employers that the best benefits empower workers to keep more of their paycheck.
Motherhood requires skills
Ultimately, benefits only go so far. Moms also want the chance at a successful career for themselves and their families. The M.O.M. report found that 65% of low-income moms feel that having a full-time career would be a luxury, with nearly 60% of moms from all income groups feeling that being a working parent has held them back professionally. But what if employers change their perception of motherhood?
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Veloria notes that whether moms are returning to the workforce or trying to be working parents from the start, recruiters and managers often underestimate or dismiss the skills needed to be a mom. From negotiation to planning and management skills, it takes a lot to run a family.
"Parenting kids and running a small team in a business have a ton in parallel," says Veloria. "For example, you have to hold people accountable, impose consequences and be trusted to have follow-through. If someone betrays your trust, then you need to act in a way that causes them to grow and develop for the better."
Nearly 90% of low-income moms agree that being a mother gives them professional skills, but nearly 50% feel those skills are not valued in the workplace, according to M.O.M. Veloria suggests that employers stop viewing motherhood as a break from work or professional hindrance, and appreciate how it instills soft skills like team-building and leadership — skills that are not easily taught through a few workshops or training sessions.
But that doesn't mean employers shouldn't invest in upskilling their working moms. M.O.M. found that nearly 30% of low-income moms want help seeking out education and training programs. Over 70% of working moms feel they would be more happy with their current job if their employer offered opportunities to further their education. Whether that means helping moms go back to school, providing mentorships or paying for programs that lead to relevant skill certifications, employers can help moms grow a sustainable career within their company. But Veloria reminds employers that this cannot happen unless they invest more into their benefits and start taking mom seriously.
"At a fundamental level, getting our moms to a place where they can advance their careers means helping them deal with care payments, groceries, ensuring they can work one job," she says. "Consider how you can put them into a position where they can make time to continue their education and grow in their careers."
Beyond the workplace and into U.S. policy
While employers play a key role in helping working moms build their careers, the burden shouldn't fall solely on their shoulders. Unfortunately, U.S. legislators have made little headway in establishing social safety nets for moms, whether through affordable child care programs or paid family and medical leave.
Meanwhile, several policies jump-started by COVID under the American Rescue Plan have reached their end, including the expansion of the child tax credit which allowed parents within certain income thresholds to get up to $3,600 in tax breaks per child — this provision lifted an estimated three million children out of poverty, according to the the Census Bureau. This year, despite Congress expanding the child tax credit beyond its pre-pandemic limits, the new cap sits at $1,900.
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"For my situation, and many other Americans with children, we really benefited from having that expanded child tax credit," says Hullinger. "Small stimulus or stipends helped a lot of families, even if it's not really enough compared to inflation and skyrocketing rent."
Elyssa Schmier, vice president for government relations at family advocacy group MomsRising, points out that these COVID-era programs proved just how little the U.S. invested in their care economy. And it looks like the pandemic hasn't truly shifted policy the way Schmier and other advocates would have hoped.
"COVID showed the cracks in the system," says Schmier. "Because the system was so stressed, everything fell apart because we didn't have these safety net programs, and workplaces and the economy suffered. But while there may be interest from both Republicans and Democrats in those programs, we still lack the political will to actually do something."
Schmier notes that nationwide policies like paid family and medical leave and an expanded child tax credit would have a disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous and Hispanic women, since they experience the worst gender pay gaps in the U.S. According to the Center for American Progress, over a 40-year-long career Black women lose $964,400 to the wage gap, Native American women lose $986,240 and Hispanic women lose $1,163,920. These groups also disproportionately represent workers within frontline roles, be it the food, retail, manufacturing or elder care sectors, all of which are industries that often lack competitive benefits, pay and flexibility, underlines Schmier.
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"We have an entire class of workers who are the backbone of our economy, but are unseen or in some cases punished by the policies that we have in place," she says. "The work that they do is quite frankly not respected by the laws of our country."
Schmier and Veloria both believe that if employers are invested in DEI, they can't ignore their working moms, but Schmier challenges employers to go further than benefits. If employers use their voice to support stronger social safety nets in U.S., it's possible that Congress will move faster on these issues.
"As leaders in this country, employers are taken seriously and listened to," says Schmier. "Whether it's making a phone call, writing a letter or going to a town hall meeting, I can't emphasize how important it is to speak up."
