Nebraska

Occupied by Native American tribes for hundreds of years, in the early 19th century white settlers began moving to the region that in 1854 became the Nebraska Territory. Nebraska later gained statehood in 1867. The state has a population of 1,783,432 (2008 estimate), of whom 50.4 percent are female, which is slightly lower than the national average of 50.7 percent. Nebraska has a high birth rate of 15.1 (only 11 states have a higher rate), and a fertility rate of 2.29 children per woman (only seven states having a higher rate). There are, on average, 2.5 people per household in the state, as opposed to 2.6 people per household across the whole of the United States.

In Nebraska, 8.4 percent of households included a single parent and at least one child under 18 years of age. In 2003–05, the incidence of low birthweight was 6.97 percent per 1,000, and infant mortality was 5.9 per 1,000.

As of 2008, Nebraska had several restriction on abortion, including parental notification for minors, mandatory counseling, and a 24-hour waiting period, with limited public funding and limited insurance coverage for state employees. About half the female population lives in a county without an abortion provider. In 2005, the abortion rate was 8.9 per 1,000 women aged 15–44.

In 2007, the per capita annual income in Nebraska was $34,471 (ranking 24th among US states), the unemployment rate was 3 percent (ranking 14th), and 11.2 percent of the population lived below the poverty line (ranking 34th). In 2008, 68.1 percent of women were in the civilian labor force. The state's economy relies heavily on agriculture; since the 1940s, farming has more highly mechanized than many other areas of the United States. Many of the early settlers were veterans of the Civil War, with later migrants from Scandinavia, Germany, and other parts of central Europe. Many of the Scandinavians and Germans were Lutherans, with mothers having the role of bringing up children and looking after the home, as well as helping in small firms run by family members or friends, but rarely becoming paid employees in large business concerns. In spite of the large rural population, compulsory education was introduced in the state in 1887 for children from the age of 7 to 16.

In 1947, John Gunther described Omaha, the state capital, as “one of the most masculine cities in America.” Nebraska gained a reputation as a society where mothers mainly remained as homemakers, with few managing to have a career of their own. The “tough” image of society was reinforced by men like William Martin Jeffers (1876–1953) of the Union Pacific, who was reported to be able to break half-dollar coins in his teeth.

However, the gender stereotypes were broken with the election of Kay A. Orr, the state governor from 1987 to 1991. She was the first Republican woman to be elected governor in U.S. history, also winning the first gubernatorial election in U.S. history where both major party candidates were women. The University of Nebraska has also been in the forefront of motherhood research Midwest; Dr. L.G. Harshman and Dr. A.J. Zera were involved in a detailed study on the cost of having children in the United States.

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