Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A study by Utah Women and Leadership Project highlights child care challenges in Utah.
- 81.4% of Utahns agree child care access is a significant issue for families.
- Survey reveals gender disparities in workplace advancement opportunities and family-friendly policies.
LOGAN — While Utah is known as a family-friendly state, a new study from the Utah Women and Leadership Project suggests employers and policymakers in the state could do more to expand child care offerings and empower women in the workplace.
Part of helping women (and families) thrive includes having robust child care options.
According to the first of five white papers published by the Utah State University project detailing the results of a statewide survey, Utah is considered a "child care desert," meaning there are significant challenges with affordability, access and quality, and that child care is considered to be a "market failure."
"While the lack of child care impacts families with two working parents, it disproportionately affects those who are already economically vulnerable, such as single-parent households (the majority of which are women-led), full-time students, or those without education beyond high school," the report states.
The survey of 4,820 Utahns found that on some level, most (81.4%) agree that access to child care is a real issue facing families in the state.
And when it comes to the government having a role in addressing child care, Utahns also agree. In fact, only 9.1% of respondents disagreed with the notion at any level.
Interestingly, respondents with higher income levels were more likely to agree that the government has a role in addressing child care than respondents with lower income levels.
The survey also included open-ended responses, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, affordability was the most frequently cited issue regarding child care.
"There is a lot of lip service about supporting girls and women in Utah, but when push comes to shove, women get shoved. Reduced work flexibility combined with a real lack of affordable child care makes it much harder for women to contribute in the workforce or to step into leadership roles," read one response.
As for the workforce, the survey found 63% of Utahns said they work for employers with at least some family-friendly policies; 37% were unsure or disagreed.
Related:
'This is Her Place, too': Study measures Utahns' perceptions of women's workplace challenges
From a troubling gender pay gap to harassment and discrimination, a new Utah Women and Leadership report outlines some of the workplace-related challenges Utah women face.Additionally, a majority of women — albeit slightly more narrow at 59.3% — agree that they have opportunities for advancement in their organization. For men surveyed, 66.4% agreed.
Still, the most frequent theme that surfaced in the survey's open-ended section regarding organizational strategies and workplace culture was a concern regarding the lack of opportunities for advancement and the sentiment of wanting increased equal opportunity for advancement, regardless of gender.
"I've worked with several companies that say they support gender equality, then completely skip women for promotions and advancement opportunities," said one respondent.
The survey also showed Utahns agreed — with nearly over a quarter of respondents strongly agreeing and nearly 43.0% either agreeing or somewhat agreeing — that they feel a sense of belonging at work.
While agreement levels were similar between men and women, the small sample of individuals who identified as nonbinary showed significantly lower agreement levels when it comes to feeling a sense of belonging in the workplace.
According to the report, the study and the white paper were designed to support "A Bolder Way Forward," the statewide movement focused on ensuring that more Utah girls, women and their families thrive.
