Politics of Parenthood State
Moms with Young Children in State Legislatures
of state legislators are moms of minor children
moms of minors to reach proportional representation
moms of minor children in state legislatures
total state legislators
| Rank | State | Total Legislators | Number of mamas (kids <18) | Percent of mamas (kids <18) | Number needed for proportional representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | 120 | 21 | 17.50% | 1 |
| #2 | Minnesota | 201 | 29 | 14.43% | 8 |
| #3 | Virginia | 140 | 20 | 14.29% | 6 |
| #4 | Michigan | 148 | 20 | 13.51% | 7 |
| #5 | Nevada | 63 | 8 | 12.70% | 4 |
| #6 | Nebraska | 49 | 6 | 12.24% | 3 |
| #7 | Oregon | 90 | 11 | 12.22% | 6 |
| #8 | Hawaii | 76 | 9 | 11.84% | 5 |
| #9 | Vermont | 180 | 21 | 11.67% | 12 |
| #10 | Washington | 147 | 17 | 11.56% | 10 |
| #11 | Delaware | 62 | 7 | 11.29% | 5 |
| #12 | Pennsylvania | 253 | 26 | 10.28% | 20 |
| #13 | Illinois | 177 | 18 | 10.17% | 15 |
| #14 | Colorado | 100 | 10 | 10.00% | 9 |
| #14 | New Jersey | 120 | 12 | 10.00% | 10 |
| #16 | New York | 213 | 21 | 9.86% | 18 |
| #17 | Wisconsin | 132 | 13 | 9.85% | 11 |
| #18 | New Mexico | 112 | 11 | 9.82% | 10 |
| #19 | Maryland | 188 | 18 | 9.57% | 17 |
| #20 | South Dakota | 105 | 10 | 9.52% | 10 |
| #21 | Rhode Island | 113 | 10 | 8.85% | 11 |
| #22 | Kentucky | 138 | 12 | 8.70% | 14 |
| #23 | Utah | 104 | 9 | 8.65% | 10 |
| #24 | Idaho | 105 | 9 | 8.57% | 11 |
| #25 | Connecticut | 187 | 16 | 8.56% | 18 |
| #26 | Georgia | 236 | 19 | 8.05% | 24 |
| #28 | Missouri | 197 | 15 | 8.00% | 21 |
| #27 | Arizona | 90 | 7 | 7.78% | 10 |
| #29 | New Hampshire | 424 | 31 | 7.31% | 47 |
| #30 | North Carolina | 170 | 12 | 7.06% | 19 |
| #31 | Florida | 160 | 11 | 6.88% | 19 |
| #32 (tie) | Alaska | 60 | 4 | 6.67% | 7 |
| #32 (tie) | Iowa | 150 | 10 | 6.67% | 18 |
| #32 (tie) | Indiana | 150 | 10 | 6.67% | 18 |
| #35 (tie) | Maine | 186 | 12 | 6.45% | 22 |
| #36 (tie) | Kansas | 165 | 10 | 6.06% | 20 |
| #36 (tie) | Ohio | 132 | 8 | 6.06% | 16 |
| #38 | Montana | 150 | 8 | 5.33% | 20 |
| #39 | Texas | 181 | 9 | 4.97% | 24 |
| #40 | North Dakota | 141 | 7 | 4.96% | 19 |
| #41 | Oklahoma | 149 | 7 | 4.70% | 21 |
| #42 | Massachusetts | 200 | 9 | 4.50% | 28 |
| #43 | Wyoming | 90 | 4 | 4.30% | 13 |
| #44 | Arkansas | 135 | 5 | 3.70% | 20 |
| #45 | Louisiana | 144 | 5 | 3.47% | 22 |
| #46 | West Virginia | 134 | 4 | 2.99% | 21 |
| #47 | Mississippi | 174 | 5 | 2.87% | 27 |
| #48 | South Carolina | 170 | 4 | 2.35% | 27 |
| #49 | Tennessee | 132 | 2 | 1.52% | 22 |
| #50 | Alabama | 140 | 0 | 0.00% | 26 |
Child age
Our data shows that the age of legislators’ youngest child is negatively correlated with representation; in other words, the representation of moms of minor children starts to increase as their children get older. While moms of minors are underrepresented as a whole, moms of children under the age of six are even less represented in our state legislatures; of the 582 moms of minors in our dataset, only 124 are moms of children under the age of six. Moms of children under the age of six comprise only 1.7% of all state legislators in the U.S.
Race & ethnicity
2.3% of all state legislators are women of color with children under the age of 18.
<1% of all state legislators in each racial category are moms of minors, except for white women.
Political affiliation
There is a distinct Democratic majority among moms of minor children, with 69.5% moms of minors identifying as Democrats and 29% identifying as Republicans.
The majority of moms of minors across state legislatures are serving in state houses, with 74.9% in state houses and 25.1% in state senates.
Campaign Funds for Childcare
If parents can’t afford the childcare they need to campaign, it prevents parents from participating in the political system.
Campaign Funds for Security
Public servants shouldn’t have to choose between representing their communities and keeping themselves and their families safe.
