Motherhood: Lawmakers not living up to their platitudes
(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)
Nationwide, 74% of women with children under age 18 were participants in the labor force in 2025. Certainly, in a state with an economy like West Virginia’s, it’s not always easy (or possible) for one parent to stay and do the work of the home while the other is part of the labor force. But despite the number of politicians here who give lip service to how much they care about children, traditional values and the importance of the family, the Mountain State is 44th-worst state for working mothers to live. In fact, the challenges are grim. According to WalletHub’s “2026 Best States for Working Moms” report, West Virginia is 21st for day care quality, 26th for women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s, 27th for parental leave policy, 29th for the average length of a woman’s work week (in hours), 30th for median women’s salary (adjusted for cost of living), 46th for pediatricians per capita and 49th for percentage of single-mom families in poverty. West Virginia is 40th for child care (quality, affordability and access), 43rd for professional opportunities for working mothers and 35th for work-life balance. “In recent years some states, in addition to requiring equal pay for equal work based on gender, have enacted other laws designed to encourage gender equity. Two examples are pay transparency laws, which require job ads or postings to specify the pay or pay range, and laws prohibiting prospective employers from asking about prior salary,” said Ann C. Hodges, professor emerita at the University of Richmond. “Enacting such laws where they don’t exist, and providing robust public enforcement of all laws requiring or supporting pay equity, would support working mothers and reduce pay disparities. Many employees, especially low wage employees, cannot find attorneys to file and litigate claims for violation of these laws. Nevertheless, it is important to provide for a private right of action to enforce these laws, in addition to public enforcement. Where the likelihood of enforcement is limited, compliance with these laws is not encouraged.” Hodges also notes it is important for paid leave to be enacted for BOTH parents, in addition to considering leave for illness of employees or their family members; and suggests subsidies and/or tax credits for child care would be of significant benefit. The bottom line is a pack of lawmakers who swooped into office in part by talking so much about how much they cared about children and families would do well to start working on legislation that shows it. There is no one-size-fits-all approach — what is working so well in first-place Connecticut might not work at all here. But elected officials must be not only able but willing to come up with what works here. West Virginia’s working mothers and their families could probably come up with a suggestion or two, but they’ve got their hands full.