Illinois is better than average for working moms, according to a recent study by personal-finance website WalletHub.com, but there definitely is room for improvement in some areas.
Illinois was number 13 in the Child Care category and 17 in Work-Life Balance among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, but only ranked 39 in Professional Opportunities.
The study compiled 15 different scores using data from various federal agencies and national nonprofit organizations to rank states in three categories.
The real question, according to WalletHub is what we’re doing about the fundamental problem of obvious inequality. Progress appears to be taking shape at different rates across the nation.
Not only do parental leave policies and other legal support systems vary by state, but the quality of infrastructure — from cost-effective day care to public schools — is also far from uniform as well.
Here is how Illinois and Wisconsin compared on some of those 15 scores:
Compared with the overall ranking of neighboring states, Illinois (18) finished above Kentucky (27), Missouri (38) and Iowa (21) but lower than Indiana (15) and Wisconsin (14).