It’s been 94 years since women were granted the right to vote in the U.S. But the gender divide still remains wide.
WalletHub recently released its rankings of the best and worst states for women’s equality. The site used 10 different metrics to compare the states, including the number of male versus female executives, disparity in pay, gap in educational attainment, difference in life expectancy, and imbalance in political representation.
“Although the U.S. has completely closed its gender education gap, about two-thirds of minimum-wage workers across the country are female,” WalletHub said.
The U.S. also lags behind its international counterparts when it comes to gender equality. WalletHub wrote:
In 2013, the U.S. failed to make the top 10 — or even the top 20 — of the World Economic Forum’s list of the most gender-equal countries. In fact, the U.S. had fallen one spot to No. 23 since 2012 and six spots since 2011 on the [World Economic Forum’s] annual Global Gender Gap Index. Worse, it lagged behind developing nations — including Burundi, Lesotho, Nicaragua and the Philippines — with primary areas of weakness in economic participation and political empowerment.
States in the Northeast, Southwest and upper Midwest earned high marks for gender equality. States in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains didn’t fare as well.
The five states with the best overall equality for women are, according to WalletHub:
- Hawaii
- New York
- Maryland
- Maine
- Nevada
And here are the five with the worst:
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Idaho
- Texas
- Indiana
You can find the rankings of all 50 states here.
“By highlighting the most and least gender-egalitarian states, we hope to accomplish three goals: help women find the best career opportunities, empower them to keep fighting for their rights and encourage states to learn from one another,” WalletHub said.
Montana, my home state, is ranked 37. We definitely have room for improvement.
How does your state rank? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.
Add a Comment
Our Policy: We welcome relevant and respectful comments in order to foster healthy and informative discussions. All other comments may be removed. Comments with links are automatically held for moderation.