Analysis ranks the best states for women

(The Center Square) – With Women’s History Month set to kick off in March, a new WalletHub study finds that females still have a long way to go when it comes to achieving equality.

Despite accounting for nearly 51% of the total population, researchers found that women still represent more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers across the country, while their political representation makes up just 24% of the U.S. Senate and 28% of the House of Representatives.

As part of its 2023 Best & Worst States for Women study, WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics, including median earnings for female workers to preventive health care for them to the female homicide rate.

The top best states for women are Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Connecticut. Pennsylvania ranks as #23.

“The states that are ranked among the worst for women have a large share of women living in poverty, as high as 21.4% in Mississippi, and a large percentage of women who can’t afford to see a doctor,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez told The Center

Square. “They also have a high female uninsured rate, and as such, a lot of women with poor health and low life expectancy. Plus, as a result of the low percentage of physically active women, there are many who are obese. Lastly, these states lack friendliness toward having a baby and toward working moms.”

Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma head Wallethub’s list of worst states for women to live.

Gonzalez said researchers also found several commonalities among the states topping the list as the best places for women to be.

“The states that are ranked among the best for women are those that are also the mostfriendly toward working moms, meaning they offer good quality child care, as well as professional opportunities with a good work-life balance for mothers who work,” she added. “They also rank high for women’s equality, they have protective abortion policies, and a low female uninsured rate. The top states are safer for women, as they have low female homicide rates.”

With researchers finding that blue (democratic-leaning) states tend to be more friendly for women, Gonzalez has a bit of advice for any of them that might be looking for a new place to call home.