In February 1980, then-President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring a week in March as National Women’s History Week. This recognition remained until 1987 when Congress designated all of March as Women’s History Month.
So it’s a good day to look at how women are doing, financial website WalletHub analyzed data to determine the best and worst states for women. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions: women’s economic and social well-being, and women’s health and safety.
Among those dimensions, it looked at 26 relevant metrics, each graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for women.
Minnesota came out on top, with a score of 77.68, ranking No 1 for economic and social well-being and No. 2 for health and safety. Maine, Vermont, North Dakota and the District of Columbia, in that order, rounded out the top five.
Georgia did not fare well under WalletHub’s scrutiny, just missing the bottom 10. The Peach State scored 48.42, putting it at No 41. Georgia finished No. 49 for women’s high school graduation rate and No. 48 for the highest rate of uninsured women. On the positive side, the state was No. 5 for the highest percentage of women-owned businesses.
Although women are making strides toward equality, they still get the short end of the stick in some parts of America. Women outnumber men in most states and make up 51% of the U.S. population, but they make up only 24% of the Senate and 27.1% of the House of Representatives.
Women also represent nearly two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially harmful financially for women, too, as they have lost their jobs at greater rates than men.
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