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Idaho

Idaho has the largest white population in the nation: In 2006, 95 percent of the population was white. Idaho's fertility rate is higher than the U.S. average (77.2 live births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, versus 66.3 in the United States as a whole in 2004). The cultural norms in Idaho tend to encourage traditional families. Only 23 percent of mothers were unmarried when they gave birth (the U.S. average is 37 percent), and 78 percent of children lived in married-couple households (the U.S. average is 68 percent). Despite these numbers, more than one in three Idaho mothers, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, reported that their pregnancy was unintended.

While there are fewer college graduates in Idaho than in most other states, only 16 percent of mothers had less than 12 years of education, compared to the U.S. average of 21 percent. The average income is quite low, however: One in four mothers reported an annual household income of less than $15,000 in 2006. There is no state support for low-income mothers beyond federal financial aid. Lack of health insurance is also a problem for many mothers: Almost 40 percent of mothers were uninsured prior to pregnancy.

The availability of prenatal care and postnatal support differs widely between rural and urban areas. The Department of Health and Welfare actively encourages prenatal care, breastfeeding, and childhood immunizations. Despite improvements in recent years, 6 percent of women received late or no prenatal care in 2005, and only 66 percent of 2-year-old children were immunized, compared to the U.S. average of 77 percent.

Lack of Childcare

One of the biggest problems for many mothers in Idaho is the shortage of adequate and affordable childcare. There have been heated discussions in the Idaho legislation about the lack of safety standards for daycare facilities in the state. The state also does not subsidize or encourage prekindergarten; Idaho is one of only 10 states in the nation that does not provide a state-funded preschool program; it also does not provide state funding for Head Start. Only 33 percent of children aged 3 or 4 attend preschool, compared to the national average of 46 percent, and even kindergarten attendance is optional.

Other controversial topics in Idaho are access to birth control and sex education in public schools. The Institute for Women's Policy Research ranked Idaho 47th of all states in regard to reproductive rights. Many parents, especially outside of Idaho's capital city of Boise, favor sex-education programs that favor abstinence. Abortion services and emergency contraception are available in larger Idaho cities; but they do require parental notification if sought by a minor.

Many mothers in Idaho belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). LDS has been the leading religion in Idaho since 1860; with about a quarter of the population (much more in the southeastern part of the state), the number of church members is second only to that in Utah. According to church doctrine, motherhood is a woman's highest calling and ranks higher than any job or career. The LDS church offers many services to new mothers, and the expectation for women to mother (i.e., nurture and teach others) extends beyond a woman's own immediate family. Catholicism, the second-strongest religious affiliation in the state (about 15 percent of the population), predominates north of Boise.

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