This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
A single mother in New Hampshire spends almost half of her annual income on child care for her infant.
In its report released Tuesday, the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation reported that child care costs are straining families across the state, but single mothers are hit harder.
Providing care for an infant costs an average of $21,593 a year, or about 45% of a single mother’s annual income of $48,464.
While the expenses decrease slightly as children grow older, they remain significant. It’s estimated that child care for a toddler costs $17,481 and $12,809 for a preschooler.
Devan Quinn, policy director at the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, said that the high cost of childcare is likely to push mothers to either leave the workforce or cut back their hours, often more so than fathers.
“When those women leave the workforce to care for children, or they’re leaving the workforce to care for aging parents, when they re-enter the workforce, they’re securing usually lower-paying positions than before,” Quinn said. “These are the compounding issues of the high cost of living impacting women.”
Just like in all other states, women in New Hampshire earn less than men, making only 76 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the study.
The report also found that women make up 58% of grandparents who are responsible for their grandchildren, indicating that caregiving duties continue to fall disproportionately on women at every stage of life.
Beyond the high cost of living, the report delved into other social, economic, and political barriers that women in New Hampshire face, from their health and safety to opportunities for leadership.
Since 2000, at least 13 labor and delivery units have closed across New Hampshire, including the Concord Birth Center. Fewer facilities mean that women often have to travel longer distances, making it harder to access crucial services like prenatal and postpartum care.
The report also highlights the connection between mental health and maternal care. Women in the state who visited their obstetrician or gynecologist more frequently were less likely to experience depression.
A state report also found that mental health conditions contributed to over half of maternal fatalities.
Overdose deaths remain down across New Hampshire, marking the sharpest drop in more than a decade from 2023 to 2024.
But the report shows that overdose deaths among men have decreased by 35%, a larger drop than the decrease among women.
In 2023, 130 women lost their lives to drug overdoses, a number that fell to 94 in 2024.
For men, the decline was larger, but the totals remained higher. 300 overdose deaths among men were recorded in 2023, and in 2024, it dropped to 193.
At the highest levels, women in New Hampshire are taking the lead, including positions in the U.S. Senate, one of the state’s two congressional seats, and the governor’s office.
But the report shows that this leadership trend doesn’t always carry over locally.
Women occupy just 8% of mayoral positions, and 39% of towns in the state don’t have a single woman on their select board.
At the school board level, women make up the majority, holding 56% of seats.
Meanwhile, 31% of judges in the state are women.
“Regardless of party, when women serve, they’re more likely to support policies that benefit women and girls in their community,” said Quinn. “We see that in the State House every single day, women are more likely to seek bipartisanship and compromise than their male counterparts.”
