LANSING, Mich. - Balancing the demands of work and family is always a bumpy road, but for the more than 132,000 low-income working mothers heading up families in Michigan, it's too often a dead-end street as far as rising out of poverty is concerned, according to a new report.

According to Peter Ruark, senior policy analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy (and NASW Michigan Vice President of Social Policy), raising the minimum wage is just one avenue of support that would help these women break the cycle of poverty.

"We need to make it easier for working parents to gain skills, and that means making it easier for them to go through community college or other skills training while they are working."

Ruark said that while the battle over the minimum wage plays out, there are steps Michigan can take to support low-income mothers, including strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing the child-care subsidy and ensuring that working women have the flexibility they need to care for their families.

"We want a conversation in this state about paid family leave and paid sick leave," he said. "The low-income working mom sometimes is at risk of losing her job if she has to miss work because of a child being sick."

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, but the measure faces considerable Republican opposition. A campaign in Michigan is working to put a minimum-wage hike to $9.50 on the fall ballot.

The full report is available at WorkingPoorFamilies.org. - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-02-17/womens-issues/report-michigan-moms-need-help/a37580-1#sthash.6hv2s9NT.dpuf