Des Moines a Top Choice for Working Mothers

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 12, 2005 -- -- When Jennifer Lundberg was a physical therapist in Los Angeles, she found herself working 50 hours a week, with little time left over for her two babies at home.

Across the country in Washington, D.C., another working mom, Nora Everett, found her career as an attorney was draining all of her energy, and making her miss her children too.

Both women thought about quitting their careers. But they found a different solution -- moving to Des Moines.

Des Moines, with a population of 200,000, may sound like an odd destination for women who built careers in the fast-paced cities on the East and West coasts, but ABC News found dozens of women who had moved from bigger cities for a better quality of life.

"You still can have an exciting, sophisticated career. That's not just exclusive to the coast," explains Everett. "But you can also have a real time -- and quality time -- with your kids."

Both women had husbands with flexible careers who were able to follow them.

Most Americans would not be surprised that Iowa is the nation's No. 1 producer of pork and corn. But they might not know that Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is the nation's No. 2 hub for insurance -- an industry that employs a large number of women.

It's the insurance industry -- and other industries like publishing and accounting that tend to employ large numbers of women -- that have helped make Des Moines an attractive place for working women.

Seventy percent of the managers in Des Moines are women -- the greatest percentage in the United States. That's compared with 57 percent in Los Angeles, 49 percent in New York, and 53 percent in Chicago, according to a study by Business Week magazine.

Companies in Des Moines go out of their way to attract women. Principal Financial Group, where Everett now works as an attorney, says it will do almost anything to recruit female employees and keep them. The company provides on-site bank tellers, fitness classes, even special rooms for lactating mothers to do their breast pumping.