Ohio ranks in bottom half of new report about representation of lawmaker moms with minor children

State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana,
sitting on the House Floor with her daughters Presley, left, and Raegan, right. (Photo provided by Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel).

Only about 6% of Ohio’s state lawmakers are moms with children under 18, according to a new report. 

The second Politics of Parenthood: Representation in State Legislatures report was published Monday by the Vote Mama Foundation, a nonprofit organization that studies the political participation of mothers in the United States. The first report was published in 2022 and reported only about 4% of Ohio state legislators were moms of minors. 

Ohio is ranked 37th in the latest report. Eight of Ohio’s 132 state legislators are moms of children under 18, according to the report. Ohio would need 16 more moms of children younger than 18 to become lawmakers to reach proportional representation. The data in the report reflects the parenthood status of state legislators who were sworn in by February. 

Of the 7,386 state legislators in the United States, 582 are moms with children younger than 18 (7.9%), according to the report. This is a nearly 50% increase in representation of lawmaker moms of children under 18 since Vote Mama started collecting data in 2022. 

“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,” Vote Mama Foundation Founder and CEO Liuba Grechen Shirley said in a statement. “Not having enough mothers in office means legislative bodies that are disconnected from issues so many American families face. Our legislatures were simply not designed with caregivers in mind. We must identify, analyze, and dismantle the barriers that prevent mothers from campaigning and sustainably serving.”

States Newsroom, the Ohio Capital Journal and a handful of other states did a series of stories for Mother’s Day earlier this year looking at the unique challenges mom lawmakers face. 

No state had proportional representation of lawmaker moms of children under 18.

California, Minnesota, Virginia, Michigan and Nevada were the states with the highest representation of legislature moms of minors. Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi and West Virginia had the lowest representation of lawmaker moms of children younger than 18.

Vote Mama has six recommendations for all 50 statehouses — 

Every state legislator should be paid a living wage to support themselves and their families.
All state legislators should have access to paid family and medical leave.
All state legislators should have the option to participate in votes and committee hearings remotely
All state legislators should be eligible to receive reimbursements to cover the costs of childcare and dependent care expenses that are directly related to carrying out their official duties. 
Mamas Caucuses build the political power of moms to pass truly family-friendly policies.
All state legislators should have access to changing tables, pumping rooms, and on-site childcare at the capitol. 

Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.