SIOUX FALL, S.D. (KELO AM) - A WalletHub report says South Dakota is in the middle of the pack when it comes to the best and worst states for working moms.
Analyst Jill Gonzales says the state lags behind in work-life balance and women's pay.
Gonzales says the area could definitely improve upon is the most is just the median women's salary, adjusted for the cost of living. It's $31,000 and that's one of the lowest the study found annually.
Gonzales says South Dakota is a positive standout when it comes to women's employment rates in most industries. She says when it comes to the overall female unemployment rate, it is the fifth-best in the country at 3.7%
But Gonzales says South Dakota law does not require private employers to provide family leave, paid or unpaid. The report also shows that child care costs in South Dakota make up a remarkably low percentage of women's monthly bills compared to other states.
Gonzales says in South Dakota's real estate, rental and leasing sector women make up only ten percent, one of the lowest rates in the nation.
(Thanks Greater Dakota News Service)