Number of moms with young children in Georgia Legislature grows, still lags state population

Locust Grove Republican Rep. Lauren Daniel is seen on the House floor with Baby Zane during the 2024 legislative session. She is one of 19 state lawmakers with young children in Georgia, though she will not be returning next year. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file photo)

More moms with young children are serving in the Georgia Legislature, but their numbers still fall short of mirroring the state’s overall population.

There are 19 mothers with minor children serving in the Legislature, which puts Georgia in the middle of the pack nationally, according to a new report from the Vote Mama Foundation, which is a nonprofit think tank focused on identifying and removing barriers that prevent moms from running for office. 

That’s double the number from just two years ago, when Vote Mama released its first report sizing up the number of mothers serving in state legislatures across the country. In Georgia, 8% of its 236 lawmakers were moms with young kids, which is up from 3.8% two years ago.

But two dozen more moms with young children would have to be elected for the Georgia General Assembly to reflect the broader population.

No state had enough mothers with minor children to achieve proportional representation, but overall, the number of mothers with young kids increased nationally, going from 5.3% to 7.9%.

State legislatures are where lawmakers vote on legislation that often can have the most direct impact on people, whether it’s education, health care, public safety or tax policies. 

A lactation pod was installed in the basement of the state Capitol in 2019, primarily for employees but it’s open to anyone. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder

“Despite encouraging growth in the representation of mothers in our state legislatures, we are still missing the voices of moms at the decision-making table,” said Liuba Grechen Shirley, Vote Mama Foundation founder and CEO.

“Building the political power of mothers is not just integral to a well-functioning government, but also to achieving gender equity in politics and to passing truly family-friendly legislation. By changing the policymakers, we can change the policies, but first, we must change the political system,” Shirley said.

The group advocates for changes that would open up the role of lawmaker to more people, such as paying a livable wage and allowing lawmakers to participate virtually and receive assistance for child care.

Vote Mama also pushes for states to make their Capitol buildings more accessible for caregivers, incorporating amenities like pumping rooms, changing tables and on-site child care.

Last year, Georgia’s ethics commission voted to let candidates and officeholders use campaign funds to pay for child care when they are on the job.

There are also visible signs of the efforts to accommodate the growing number of moms who frequent the Gold Dome. There’s a lactation pod in the basement of the Capitol, and this year, House leadership gave Locust Grove Republican Rep. Lauren Daniel an official badge for her baby so she could regularly bring him onto the House floor. Daniel lost her bid for reelection in May.

The report also looked at the number of mothers with young children who have left office in the last couple years and found that caregiving, family and work environment combined was the third most cited reason for leaving office. Running for higher office and retiring were the top reasons.