New data from the Women's Foundation of Arkansas shows that nearly 70% of mothers in the state view childcare costs as a barrier to employment. That was one of many statistics shared late last week by Anna Beth Gorman, the foundation's CEO.
She says this research was about two years in the making.
"Because we knew that we wanted to have a really in-depth statewide report. And they're not cheap, they're quite expensive, and the undertaking is very difficult. We are the only organization that commissions research about women in our state. You know, if you want data, you have to go find it outside of Arkansas. And that to me isn't reflective of the story of real Arkansans."
The Women's Foundation of Arkansas reached out to Ingeborg Initiatives, the organization founded by Olivia Walton, to join as a partner and help finance this research.
Gorman says this research focuses on working mothers, but these statistics impact more than just women.
"This report itself should be something that all employers say, 'This is a working family issue. This is impacting men and women that are raising families in our state.' So again, access to childcare, affordability of childcare is not a women's issue. It's absolutely not a women's issue. And I think that that's really important to stress. This is a family issue. This is an economic issue, and we really have to have a lot of eyes on the problem."
Nicole Clowney is a Democratic state representative for District 21. She says the employment barrier data point is a personal one for her.
"I was in the position of having to choose whether to continue to work or leave, because actually childcare was going to be more expensive for me to do the job that I was doing than the salary that I was bringing in doing that work. I actually chose to leave work. So I stayed home with my daughters when they were very young. I'm very fortunate that I was able to do that, but it takes a huge toll on your career progress to take years out of the workforce to care for your children."
The report from the Women's Foundation of Arkansas is called "Holding It All Together: Working Moms and Childcare in Arkansas." It clearly lays out the major findings: that childcare is a barrier to employment, that flexible working hours is the most desired workplace support, that maternal leave is inadequate, and that the invisible workload of a mother is real and unsustainable.
Now, let's put a finer point on that childcare cost statistic. Data shows that a family with two young children pays approximately $17,500 annually for childcare. That's 27% of the median household income in Arkansas.
Clowney says there has been good legislation and initiatives made for new and postpartum moms in Arkansas, but there's more work to be done for mothers beyond that time period.
"We know that taking care of those moms longer term is good for the whole family. And part of taking care of moms is making sure that if what they want to do is get back in the workforce, they're able to do that. The numbers we saw this morning show that that's much harder in Arkansas than it should be."
Democrats in Arkansas presented legislation during the 2025 general session that would have restored the child tax credit. The bill never made it out of committee. Another tax credit — one for childcare specifically — was proposed by Republican state Rep. Brandon Achor. That bill also never made it out of committee.
Clowney says one reason she believes neither of those tax credits made progress is a fear of spending money.
"There is an overarching fear of tax credits, because this is all seen through the lens of — I think — a broader goal from state leaders of wanting to reduce our income tax levels to zero. Obviously, if that's the goal, then every dollar spent is really heavily scrutinized and these dollars didn't make the cut."
Another area of focus in the report is maternity leave. The data shows that 1 in 5 mothers had to go back to work less than six weeks after giving birth. Gorman says that is earlier than medically recommended.
"And many reported having no paid leave or only partial wage replacement. When we see 1 in 5 mothers returning to work less than six weeks — this is before their bodies have fully healed. And most of these women, the timing was a result of a financial calculation. Like, I can no longer afford to be at home. I have to get back to work."
While there has been some improvement recently, Arkansas continues to rank near the bottom of the list when it comes to maternal mortality. Data from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement shows that nearly 70% of pregnancy-related deaths in Arkansas happen postpartum.
"It is literally because we are putting ourselves back in the workforce before our bodies are ready. Mothers who are forced back to work before they've recovered are more likely to experience complications, struggle with the transition and ultimately leave the workforce altogether. That's a cost that falls on families first and businesses second."
The idea of an invisible mental load is one that is easier described in story than in data points. The Women's Foundation of Arkansas collected qualitative data from online surveys, focus groups held over Zoom, as well as some held in person, and in eight one-on-one interviews.
Sarah McKeown was one of those interviewed. The WFA turned her interview into a produced story that they shared on their website.
McKeown is a mother of two. She was with the father of both of her children before they split, leaving her a single mother — one of whom had a significant amount of trauma before he came into her life. She says she really never saw herself having kids, and now here she is with two by herself.
"Being a single mom is stressful. It's tiring. It's exhausting. I am full-time working in healthcare right now. And then I also clean houses, clean other businesses and stuff after hours just to be able to have extra money for me and my kids."
McKeown lays out that invisible mental load throughout her story. She stopped qualifying for childcare vouchers recently — a fact she found out just days before she had to start paying for it on a week she wasn't going to receive a paycheck. She has to take sick days more than she wants to, not because she's sick, but because the kids get sick and she's a single mom with nobody to watch a sick child So she can work.
"Back whenever I was a kid, if I was sick, I went to my grandma's house. We don't have that anymore. My mom still works. She works in Pine Bluff at the hospital. She drives an hour to work every single day. She's done it for 15 years."
McKeown says all of these factors — the invisible mental load of holding it all together while working multiple jobs and having no support system — has led to anxiety, depression and PTSD from her relationship with her kids' father. She seems to be a leading example of the title of the report: "Holding It All Together."
The report wraps up with a closing statement that the data is clear: these issues are an economic imperative for Arkansas. Investments in childcare infrastructure and family-supportive policies result in productivity and workforce stability. It goes on to say that Arkansas cannot afford to lose mothers from the workforce. The challenge is not whether Arkansas can afford to respond to these challenges, but whether it can afford the consequences of failing to do so.
What seems less clear at this juncture is what the public and private sector in Arkansas is doing to remedy those concerns.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
