Women’s Foundation Hails Passage of Military Licensing Reciprocity in Missouri

Research Shows Easing Licensing Requirements Benefits Women

KANSAS CITY – Pointing to research showing state licensing requirements have a disproportionate impact on women, Women’s Foundation today hailed Governor Parson's signing of HB 1511 and HB 1452, which would allow military spouses to move to Missouri without losing their professional licenses from other states. 

“Moving across state lines shouldn’t mean losing your ability to earn a living, but that’s the reality many families face as a result of a patchwork of burdensome and unnecessary licensing requirements,” said Wendy Doyle, Women’s Foundation President & CEO.  “Our research shows that when professional licensing requirements can’t be transferred from state-to-state, women and military families bear the brunt. We thank Governor Parson and bill sponsors Reps. Steve Lynch and Nick Schroer for their commitment to helping Missouri military families unlock their economic potential and easing the harmful barriers that hold them back.” 

Women’s Foundation research found that: 

• Families are more likely to relocate for a man’s profession and that relocation for a man’s career tends to improve his career development, but impair a woman’s career development.

• In the US, in 2015, employed women were more likely to hold a certification or license than employed men (28.1% and 23.2%, respectively). 

• The occupations in which workers have the highest likelihood of having a certification or license were healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (76.9 %), legal occupations (68.1 %), and education, training, and library occupations (55.5%). Many of these are women-dominated professions. 

• Women are more likely to fill jobs in human service type occupations, like teaching, managers or nursing professions, which have more geographic flexibility than male dominated professions like engineers or scientists. Because occupations traditionally held by women have a wider array of locations than traditionally male-dominated jobs, women are more likely to move for their partner’s profession.

In 2018, the Women’s Foundation worked with the General Assembly to pass SB 843, which waived licensing fees for military families and low-income Missourians. 

The Women’s Foundation also supported passage of legislation to allow those seeking to pursue a career in hair braiding to complete an online video and obtain a certificate of registration. Previously, hair braiders had to complete over 1,000 hours of training for a cosmetology license, even though the training did not include hair braiding skills.

Click here to see the Women’s Foundation’s full research report on occupational licensing

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Psychologist Reciprocity Bill Would Ease Mental Health Provider Shortage, Empower Women Economically

Research shows that women are disproportionately impacted by occupational licensing rules

KANSAS CITY – May is Mental Health Month and the Women’s Foundation is lending its support to pending legislation (SB 204) that would make it easier for psychologists to practice in Missouri. Senate Bill 204, sponsored by Missouri state Sen. Jeanie Riddle, would allow a psychologist licensed in a state that has signed the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s reciprocity agreement to be eligible for a license in Missouri.

Missouri has 110 Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas and the highest percentage of unmet mental health care need out of all 50 states. 

“Our research has found that women are more likely to be impacted by burdensome and unnecessary occupational licensing rules, which make it harder for them to break into new fields or practice their profession if they move across state lines,” said Wendy Doyle, Women’s Foundation President & CEO. “This bill is a win-win: empowering women economically while helping to ease the severe shortage of mental health providers across the state.”

Women’s Foundation research on occupational licensing and reciprocity has shown that women are disproportionately impacted by state-level regulations that make it harder for people who relocate to another state to legally practice their profession. For example, according to the American Psychological Association, of the 70,311 students enrolled in psychology graduate programs in 2014, 75 percent were women.

Occupational licensing requirements have risen from five percent of the workforce holding a license in the 1950s to about twenty-six percent of the workforce holding a license in 2016.

Read the Women’s Foundation report on occupational licensing and reciprocity in Missouri and the U.S. at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/545815dce4b0d75692c341a8/t/59e0cd6ef5e231eea5471593/1507904882586/Occupational+Licensing+and+Reciprocity-+Final+10.13.2017.pdf 

Women’s Foundation promotes equity and opportunity for women of all ages, using research, philanthropy and policy solutions to make meaningful change. More information about the organization can be found at www.Womens-Foundation.org.

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