About
Shifting states towards supporting motherhood.
Our world is better when mothers (and fathers) are supported in raising children.
Vision
We see a country where moms and their children are supported by institutions and free to thrive with minimal barriers to well-being.
Who We Are
The MOM Score is a tool created by Voices for the Voiceless, a group of passionate advocates (who happen to be moms, dads, policy makers, and nonprofit leaders) concerned about the lack of support for moms (and dads) in our institutions.
Mainstream corporate policies tend to punish parents (and specifically mothers) and treat the realities of parenthood as an inconvenience to be managed. New moms find themselves forced back to work sooner than they would have chosen while trying to afford costly childcare or piece together unpaid support. Parents of K-12 kids struggle to match traditional work day expectations with school drop-off times, out-of-school activities, and the realities of sick days or summer school closures.
State policies regularly place barriers in the way of motherhood or, at best, fail to prioritize support, like offering tax credits reserved for those with a high enough income to have a tax liability or failing to support better family leave policies or take proactive steps to improve access to lower-cost childcare options.
Then, negative outcomes downstream from policy become associated with motherhood, like high rates of maternal mortality, poor healthcare, exorbitant costs of childcare and a lack of “village” or family support.
It’s understandable why many Americans are afraid to become parents at all.
The MOM Score exists to shape state policies in a direction that supports moms and the unique challenges we face.
What about dads?
This is for them too! But let’s face it. It’s women (moms) who typically feel the pain most when policies don’t support parenthood and when negative outcomes surround them (from health to housing to education). Despite cultural shifts, moms still tend to be the default primary caregivers – even when working outside the home. Of full-time working parents, 52% of moms report handling primary parenting responsibilities, compared with 10% of dads.
We see moms and dads as inter-related in this mission. When dads are supported, they can better support moms – which is part of the vision for realizing well-being in motherhood. And the changes we’re fighting for will ultimately benefit both moms and dads in their parenthood journeys, the children they’re raising, and society at large.
The MOM Score reflects a human commitment to the value of children and a recognition of the profound work of motherhood and fatherhood.
The MOM Score
When states create conditions that support motherhood, they create the conditions where children can thrive.
- 01Early Childhood & K-12 Education
Quality and affordable childcare and K-12 education options
- 02Institutional & Cultural Supports
A social, religious, and community fabric that supports family formation
- 03Economics
The means to care for the physical needs of your family without significant strain or deprivation
- 04Health & Safety
Access to mental and physical health care
- 05Family Leave Policy
The ability to maintain employment while having the flexibility to attend to the needs of your family, from pregnancy through childhood
When these conditions aren’t met, parents and children struggle – and fewer Americans feel the confidence to bring children into the world.
But when motherhood is supported by the institutions and the world is bent towards her well-being and that of her children, society is stronger, healthier, and more humane.
The MOM Score is a tool to help decision makers see the current reality and chart a path forward – and it’s public to give them a firm but friendly nudge in that direction.
It’s also a tool to empower the voices of moms, dads, and the community to advocate for the changes that make a more supported world.