In the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the number of women with school-age children has increased exponentially over the past two years, a novel report shows, and that’s reflected in some of the policy initiatives put forth by the legislature.
The company is based in New York The Vote Mama Foundation said in a report that as of February, 10.28% of Pennsylvania state lawmakers were mothers of minor children, a 225% increase from the organization’s 2022 report. And while the Keystone State is still not among the top ten states moving toward proportional representation by mothers of juvenile children, a key factor in its favor: legislators receive a full-time salary.
As the report notes, Pennsylvania is one of only four states – Michigan, California and New York are the others – that pay their legislators a living wage. Legislators in states with part-time legislatures typically need income from another source, and many are either unpaid or are paid below the standard cost of living in their state. Many of them do not have the funds to employ staff.
“Having pay reflect the importance of work has a huge impact on increasing the representation of everyday caregivers,” Vote Mama program director Sarah Hague told the Capital-Star. “Paying a full-time living wage is the best recommendation we have for a reason.”
Lawmakers in Harrisburg received a 3.5% salary increase on December 1 which brought the annual salary to $106,422. California and New York are the only states that pay their lawmakers more. Those holding leadership positions in the Pennsylvania Legislature earn higher salaries, with House Speaker Joanna McClinton (R-Philadelphia) and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) earning the highest salary of $166,232.
A 1995 state law charges fees to lawmakersjudges and executive officials such as the governor Consumer Price Index for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland – so when inflation rises, so do their wages.
Hague said the organization hears from mothers across the country who may be fed up with something that is impacting their family’s lives and want to throw their hat in the ring to run for office – particularly state legislatures. When they get elected, “over the last few years, we’ve had a lot of people come to us and say, ‘What job can I have that would support me in this?’ What do people do in this legislature part-time to make ends meet?” she asked.
Hague noted that in many states, child care costs exceed a legislator’s salary, and the lack of full-time pay and benefits is an especially significant barrier for single parents who want to hold public office.
“These volunteer legislatures have a huge impact on who can get there and who stays there,” she added. “I really applaud Pennsylvania for recently increasing legislator pay.”
The Hague said the effect of having more mothers with juvenile children in the legislature can be seen in the laws introduced and passed. She pointed to “Momnibus legislative package. bills focusing on targeted investments and improvements in maternal health care in the Commonwealth and legislation focusing on paid leave and lifting state minimum wage.
“We absolutely need the lived experiences of people systematically excluded from policy and decision-making to inform, shape and advocate for legislation that helps all communities develop and thrive,” she said.
Vote Mama’s report shows Pennsylvania still has work to do; The General Assembly ranked 12th on its list of state legislatures for proportional representation of mothers of juvenile children. To achieve this goal, 20 more mothers of underage children would need to be selected.
“So yes, we absolutely have cause for celebration and we see hope in achieving that proportional representation, but we can’t help but see that mothers are underrepresented,” Hague said. “More mothers in the legislature means better policies for women, children and families.”
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