The Capitol building in Harrisburg on July 6, 2024 (Capital-Star photo by Ian Karbal)
The number of women in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly who have school-age children has increased exponentially in the past two years according to a new report, and that representation is reflected in some of the policy initiatives that the legislature has put forth.
The New York-based Vote Mama Foundation said in the 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 still isn’t in the top ten list of states approaching proportional representation by mothers of young children, it has a key factor working in its favor: Legislators receive a full-time salary.
Pennsylvania is one of only four states — Michigan, California and New York are the others —- to pay its legislators a livable salary, the report notes. Lawmakers in states that have part-time legislatures usually need income from another source, and many are either unpaid or paid below their state’s standard cost of living. Many don’t have resources to hire staff.