Women financially support 40 percent of all households in the United States, the Pew Research Center recently found, compared with 11 percent in 1960. Out-of-pocket spending on child care has nearly doubled over the last 30 years, according to the Census Bureau. The average cost of infant care now exceeds the price of public college tuition in 31 states.

In Virginia, for example, a critical swing state, the average cost of full-time day care runs about $10,000 per year. The price swells in cities: Parents should expect to pay $22,000 annually in the District, according for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.